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.

IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD FOR JONES ON SUNDAY
BUT HE ISN'T DECLARED OUT

By Dave Klein
Daniel Jones practiced. Daniel Jones will make the trip to Seattle Saturday. Daniel Jones says his sore hamstring isn't quite as sore.

But will Daniel Jones play Sunday against the Seahawks? Nobody knows for sure, and head coach Joe Judge just isn't talking. "I am absolutely not saying that he's out for Sunday," Judge said. "And it's a long flight to Seattle, so we'll have to see how he feels after that, and after our practice once we get there."

In this master class of Advanced Coach Speak, no information is going to leave the team meeting rooms until a decision is made, and you won't know that until you see who takes the field Sunday. But whatever the result, whatever the outcome, it's better than if the hamstring was torn last week in Cincinnati and Jones became part of the depth chart for 2021.

But talking with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett merely unveiled more Coach Speak; after all, for nine years he was the head man in Dallas. And he preferred to talk about Colt McCoy, the presumptive starter, an 11-year veteran who has had seven starts in the last nine years, and who hasn't won a game since 2014.

Someone asked him if the current playbook will be scaled back or cut down, to which he replied: "There's nothing mentally or physically that Colt is not capable of doing. You always try to create a situation which your players are comfortable with. You know, there are a lot of plays in football and in this case you try to run the ones that your quarterback likes and is comfortable with."

And figuring into that concept they must also be plays the offensive line is comfortable with, involving things the running backs, tight ends and wide receivers do best."

But don't you always try to do that, when formulating the offensive playbook best suited to your personnel?

Garrett agreed, and then pointed out the obvious. ‘You're probably a little bit more sensitive to that with a backup quarterback who hasn't had the backlog of reps that the other guys have had. You're trying to customize it. I don't think you're cutting it down in any way."

Jones was listed as Questionable on the injury status report all teams must submit to the league, and the only other player with that designation was linebacker David Mayo (knee).

Alex Tanney, a Giants' backup quarterback in 2018-19 who was with them in training camp, is expected to be cleared to re-join tomorrow after clearing the NFL COVID-19 protocol.

"Alex won't be officially cleared until Saturday," Judge said, "but we're going to take him to Seattle with us and keep him in the fold." So, too, will the team transport the temporary backup, Clayton Thorson, so if something happens to McCoy during the game, and if Jones isn't declared ready, you might see Tanney on the field – if he passes the protocols and is allowed to be activated.

By the way, did you know that McCoy's uniform number (12) has been retired by the University of Texas?

EXTRA POINTS – Judge appeared at his press conference wearing an Ole Miss sweatshirt and the traditional bucket hat, explaining that since he is an alum of Mississippi State, he entered into a non-monetary wager with tight end Evan Engram, who attended Ole Miss (as did recently retired quarterback Eli Manning). ... The Rebels won, so Judge lost.

Much of the defensive game-planning involves cornerback James Bradberry and how (and if) he can contain superstar Seattle wide receiver D.K. Metcalf. ... "I can cover anybody," Bradberry has claimed. ... But the 6-4, 240-pound Metcalf, also an Ole Miss product, has said he doubts any defensive back can single-cover him. ... So far in the Seahawks' 11 games (they're 8-3), Metcalf has caught 58 passes for 1,039 yards and nine touchdowns – and he isn't even leading the team. ... That would be Tyler Lockett, with 70 receptions for 771 yards and eight TDs.

The Giants remain 10-point underdogs.

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