Category Archives: Bear Pascoe
OK…well as long as no one was injured in the last ten minutes, I think I’m ready to unveil my final roster projection for 2011. We still have two preseason contests to go, but right around now is when the decisions start to become clear. So let’s jump right in with QB.
QB Keeping 2: In 2011, NFL teams now have the luxury of dressing 46 players on game day. This essentially means that the 3rd string QB is no longer an “emergency option.” The Giants have chosen to forgo the 3rd QB all together since 2008, and I’m not so sure that changes this season. Obviously Eli is the number 1, but he heads up a current corps of 4 talented signal callers.
David Carr (first pick ever of the Houston Texans in 2002) is my favorite to win the job, and not just because he is less expensive than the other veteran alternative. Yes he is about 2 million cheaper than Sage Rosenfels, but he is also equally talented and more versatile. Quite frankly, I expected him to win the starting job in San Francisco last year and I still think he will be a starter again in this league before he retires. Rosenfels may also be trade bait for another CB (more later).
I don’t see Ryan Perrilloux, the raw first year player out of LSU/Jacksonville State making the team despite the new accommodation on gamedays for QBs. The roster is too tight in other areas to find room for a project at a position with an established starter.
Tagged Andre Brown, DJ Ware, Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, jimmy kennedy, Linval Joseph, mark herzlich, Matt Dodge, Terrell Thomas, Tyler Sash, Victor Cruz |
I hope the all Giants fans “read between the lines” on the Jerry Reese recent press conference. Back Off, I know what I’m doing…would be the theme.
Now, with that said lets all raise a pint to Jerry Reese and laugh at some of the comments he thinks we should believe. Roll the highlights…
1. “We had a game plan and we are sticking to our game plan” – So what plan would that be? Loosing 3 out of 5 of our top Free Agents and ignore anyone on the open market that might make this team better?
Tagged Free Agency, Jerry Reese |
Q: With Kevin Boss gone, what are the Giants plans at TE?
A: I’m not sure this is it. Personally, I thought they were counting on Boss returning. They don’t have an established, reliable presence there right now. Bear Pascoe will move back now that the Giants have a fullback (Pitt rookie Henry Hynoski) and second-year UDFA Jake Ballard has looked pretty good thus far this summer, but there’s no way this was what Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin had in mind going into the season.
Q: Why wasn’t Boss re-signed?
A: Money. They couldn’t pay him the market rate. For an organization that is one of the world’s top ten most valuable franchises, money got in the way of them keeping an integral player. They mismanaged the salary cap. Boss also had two concussions the past two seasons. That has to be taken into account. Maybe the Giants saw him as a risk that wasn’t worth rewarding.
Q: Will they bring in a veteran if one becomes available?
A: I would imagine. But, again, economics will dictate that. As I said, economics are not in their favor right now.
Q: What does Travis Beckum bring to the party?
A: Ah..the million dollar question. No one knows for sure. He can’t play on the line, he’s not that big a guy and he’s a tad too slow to put in the slot. Even Mike Pope can’t help this guy. But the Giants are insistent on trying to bang square pegs into round holes, so he’ll be here for awhile.
Tagged giants, New York Giants |
Hixon, Barden, Smith and now Nicks. It isn’t pretty when it comes to the Giants wide receiving unit. The Giants tried out 5 wide receivers with former Eagles slot receiver, Kevin Curtis mostly likely to get a call back.
Kevin Curtis was a third round pick for the St. Louis in 2003 and had his best season when he became a free agent and moved to Philadelphia in 2007. Before DeSean Jackson and with the exception of T.O. not many receivers had 1000 yard receiving years; however, Kevin Curtis stepped up in 2007 pulling down 77 receptions for over 1100 yards.
In 2008 & 2009 Curtis was nursing some injuries; however , remained in great game shape. With the rise of Jackson and Maclin, Kevin Curtis became expendable. Curtis is no Steve Smith but he can be a great “after the catch” receiver.
Giants will most likely call him back again. Curtis recently has been cleared to play after his fight with testicular cancer this past September.
While fullbacks are not usually a topic of conversation, the ongoing injury to Madison Hedgecock raises an interesting question. With the emerging success that Bear Pascoe has had while filling in at FB, could the Giants conceivably cut Hedgecock in order to clear roster space, even if he can come back healthy? The Giants certainly could use his roster spot, as they are currently carrying 2 return men (Darius Reynaud and the newly signed Will Blackmon) and have yet to place on IR 2 ailing offensive linemen (William Beatty and Kevin Boothe).
WIth those considerations in mind however, it is very unlikely that Madison Hedgecock will be let go even if he does come back fully healthy. Why is this? The Giants have a complete lack of depth at the TE position. Kevin Boss is unquestionably very important to the Giants, not as much in the passing game as many would like, but is a key cog blocking for the rushing attack spearheaded by Ahmad Bradshaw. But, Boss is injury prone despite his tremendous toughness. He seems to get hit harder on any given play than most players do, and defenses have doled out punishment to the young TE. He has already sustained a concussion this season, and the Giants simply cannot risk using their backup TE (Pascoe) as a FB if the Giants already have a competent FB.
Would this be the case if Hedgecock is lost for the season? Perhaps not. The Giants would then search for a replacement TE for Pascoe if he’s at FB, or a replacement FB, moving Pascoe back to TE.
Whatever the case may be, Hedgecock’s job appears safe…for now. Keep in mind he is in the midst of a 5 year, $5.5 million extension signed in 2007.
GFB readers, let me know what your thoughts are on this topic or any other. Make a comment on this post and I will do my best to respond.
Tagged Bear Pascoe, Madison Hedgecock |
FB Madison Hedgecock (hamstring) will not dress again tomorrow, meaning backup TE Bear Pascoe will be pulling duties at FB again.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride has been pleasantly surprised at how well Pascoe is performing, considering he never played the position. Pascoe was a quarterback in high school and tight end in college at Fresno State.
Gilbride: Tremendous contribution for us because there’s no fall off in terms of knowing… he’s excellent with his assignments, he gives you a very versatile guy that can not only just line up in the traditional fullback position, but can line up in the two tights and motion or stay two tights, so the flexibility gives us the pass receiving ability we kind of expected, but what we did see was that when he was the normal fullback position, he was basically flawless in terms of his assignments and his execution, so that was great to see. He played very well for us.
Tagged New York Giants Blogs |
Kevin Gilbride holds back this offense. This offense needs a young innovative mind that can use all the pieces effectively. Watching the Giants take on the Bears sitting in Section 143 on Sunday night was frustrating. On numerous drives the offense sputtered and came up lame, which has me asking…Why?
Why do so many teams with the lesser talent score a ton of points and close out teams when the opportunity presents itself.
The answer: Kevin “KILL-DRIVE” Gilbride.
Tagged Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs, Brian Westbrook, dwight freeney, Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, Kevin Boss, Kevin Gilbride, Ramses Barden, Steve Smith, Tom Coughlin, Victor Cruz |
Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin has complete confidence that TE Bear Pascoe can fill Kevin Boss‘ shoes. Pascoe was activated yesterday after it was determined that Boss will out indefinitely with a concussion. Coughlin was not comfortable leaving the untested enigma Travis Beckum as the only TE on the roster.
This should be no surprise to anyone who’s been following along. When Coughlin was asked why he chose to open the season with only two TEs on the roster he was quick to state that he had some good players that were only an “up/down” away.
In his post-game presser on Sunday, QB Eli Manning also believed that Pascoe can fill the bill in Boss’ absence…..
Can Bear Pascoe do the same things that Kevin Boss can do?
“Yeah. Obviously, Travis (Beckum) has to play well for us. Get Beckum in there and he’s very talented, and he can really run and get down the field. He has to help us out in the pass game and the run game. He has to get his assignments down and be comfortable, and a lot of it is that he hasn’t had many reps. He didn’t get many reps last year during the season, he was banged up. He missed a whole lot of training camp this year. It will be a great week of practice for him, really good. We’ll get him a lot of reps and get him comfortable with what we’re doing and his decision making. Then, if Kevin can’t go or we get another tight end, they have to step up and play well for us and learn everything that’s going on. Bear knows that, or whoever they bring up, and we’ll be in good shape.”
Listen: Bear Pascoe interview 9-13
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Tagged New York Giants Blogs |
The Giants have activated Bear Pascoe from the practice squad to fortify their thinning TE corps. With Kevin Boss out indefinitely, the team had no choice but to go to the well.
In order to make room for Pascoe, the Giants made the tough decision to waive LB Bryan Kehl, a 2008 fourth-rounder from BYU.
Kehl had played well on special teams and probably did not deserve this fate, but with all the injuries to the other units, he suddenly became the most expendable player on the roster. Somehow, I don’t think we’ve ween the last of him….
Pascoe at one time was the only healthy TE the Giants had in camp, taking all the reps and winning the confidence and trust of the coaches, his teammates and fans.
Tagged New York Giants Blogs |
The biggest criticism yesterday after the Giants announced their 53-man roster were; “Only two quarterbacks?” and “The Giants have only two TEs on the whole roster?”
Well, today the team took care of that by claiming back QB Rhett Bomar and TEs Bear Pascoe and Jake Ballard. These players, mind you, are not Giants’ property just players that get paid to practice with the team.
Any club can still claim them for their own 53-man roster. That seems unlikely at this or any other moment this year. The best part of this news is that Bomar got extensive playing time this summer and should something befall one of the team’s two QBs on the roster, the experience won’t be as foreign to him.
Pascoe and Ballard have been under the tutelage of Mike Pope for some time, so they understand the Giant way of doing things as well. Should Kevin Boss or Travis Beckum go down, Giant fans can rest assured there is relief in the wings.
Tagged Giants Practice Squad | ← Older posts
