E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants" beat writer for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he was one of only three sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls up until last year. Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

MOST OF THE STARTERS WATCHED AS GIANTS LOST TO LIONS, 21-16

By Dave Klein
As preseason games go, it was all you should have expected.

Not many of the regulars played for the Giants last night, as they managed to cough up a 13-3 lead and lose to the Detroit Lions, 21-16.

It was the opener of the three-game summer schedule that precedes the start of the 2023 NFL regular season. But if you expected to see the familiar names at their starting positions, you were destined to be disappointed.

You did not get to see QB Daniel Jones, RB Saquon Barkley, DE-LB Kayvon Thibodeaux, TE Darren Waller, CB Adoree Jackson, RT Evan Neal, LT Andrew Thomas, DTs Dexter Lawrence and Leonard Williams, G Mark Glowinski and WR Darius Slaton.

And so many more.

What you did see was a dress rehearsal for those who are fighting for jobs in training camp, a necessary and courageous departure from playing a real game with the best players available.

The most exciting part of the game for the Giants was a 14-yard second-quarter touchdown pass from third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito to third-string tight end Tommy Sweeney, since both of them were high school teammates at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J.

"I guess you could say we're familiar with each other," DeVito quipped. He was an undrafted rookie from the University of Illinois and Sweeney attended Boson College before signing as an undrafted rookie with Buffalo in 2019.

DeVito came in for the starter, backup QB Tyrod Taylor, late in the first quarter and played the rest of the game. He emerged as a player to be watched, completing 15 of 24 passes for 155 yards with an interception and the TD pass to Sweeney - the Giants' only touchdown of the game. Their remaining points came on three field goals from the veteran kicker Graham Gano.

The Giants also proved their search for offensive line depth hasn't produced the harvest they were anticipating. DeVito was sacked five times and forced to run or throw safely to the sidelines far too often.

The starting five wasn't terrible (not very good, either) but when the substitutions were sent in, guys like Wyatt Davis, Korey Cunningham, Sean Harlow, Matt Peart, Tyre Phillips and Joshua Ezeudu, DeVito was powerless to do much except to run for his health.

On the other hand, second-round draft pick John Michael Schmitz started at center and looked as though he has been there for years. He's a keeper.

The offense gained only 81 yards rushing for the game, another result of inferior blocking, and was successful on only two of 13 third-down plays.

davesklein@aol.com

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