Former Giants WR, and fan favorite Corey Washington was waived by the Detroit Lions earlier today according to ESPN sources.

The Lions waived WR Corey Washington with an injury designation. He was on Detroit’s practice squad last year.

If Washington clears waivers and is not picked up by another team by Monday, he can be placed on Detroit’s injured reserve list.

Many Giants fans fell in love with Washington due to his size and comparison to Plaxico Burress.

I’m sure some fans will call for an insurance policy in case Victor Cruz is not ready to return. I do not expect a reunion as Big Blue has a full complement of wide receivers that are looking to step up their game. At this stage it is unclear if Washington is ready to play.
Best of Luck to Corey Washington.

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Ok Giants fans, if you’re like me your upset that we are going to spend another post season watching other teams compete for the Lombardi Trophy.  Let’s try to stay positive and focus on some of the things the Giants have going for them heading into next season.  I think the wide receiver position is by far our biggest strength heading into next season.  I believe Victor Cruz will make a comeback from the horrible Patellar Tendon rupture he suffered this season.  Then there is Odell Beckham Jr. who didn’t play any in the preseason, missed the first part of the regular season and has already put his name in the conversation of the league’s best wide receivers.   There is another wide receiver that has me particularly excited for the Giants future.

Corey Washington was by far the Giants best receiver in the preseason, with an outside shot at even making the roster he caught 10 passes for 155 yards and 4 touchdowns.   Plus he is a big guy, at 6’4 and 214 lb. he could give Eli the reliable red zone target which was a primary weakness for the Giants for much of 2014.  Washington spent his college days at Georgia Military Academy and Newberry College, both of which are not regulars on college game day.   He quietly caught 146 passes for 2,396 yards and 34 TD’s in college.  He also caught a TD pass in the only regular season game where he had significant playing time, November 3^rd against the Colts where he had 4 rec for 48 yards.

I realize that I’m basing most of my excitement for C. Washington’s potential on the preseason, which raises the question, if he’s that good why isn’t he getting more playing time?  The Giants have lost their #1 WR for the season, in Victor Cruz.  Then they lost Jerel Jernigan their starting slot WR for the year, and still C. Washington had very little playing time.  Surely if I can see his potential then the guys who get paid to asses’ talent in NY know what they have in C. Washington, right?

Wel, there are two games left in the season.  We know what Reuben Randle can do, and Preston Parker has had more opportunity than C. Washington.  Although he has made some great special teams plays, I don’t really see how that’s justified.  The last time I was this excited about a WR’s ability was when I watched Victor Cruz put up 200 yards in a preseason game.  The Giants don’t have anything to lose now, they are out of the play-offs. It’s time to see what the future holds and play Corey Washington!

Play Corey Washington was written by Guest blogger Shane Momier. Please leave feedback in the comment field below, I would love to know what you think.

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1. Injuries Are Piling Up on Both Sides of the Ball

Prior to the game, the Giants were without arguably their best running back (Rashad Jennings), their best wide receiver (Victor Cruz), their best offensive linemen (Geoff Schwartz), their best linebacker (Jon Beason), and their two best nickel corners (Walter Thurmond III and Trumaine McBride). Week after week it seems that more and more key players are going down with catastrophic injuries. This week was no exception. Emerging star cornerback Prince Amukamara, who is tied for 5th in the NFL and most the team with 3 interceptions, tore his bicep and was placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his season. He was one of the team’s best players on offense and defense and will be nearly impossible to replace. Weston Richburg, who has started each game at left guard, sprained his right ankle towards the end of the game and his status moving forward is unknown. Punter Steve Weatherford has not been the same since his week one injury and had trouble with distance on several punts against the Colts. The compounding injuries are crippling the team and putting more and more pressure on Eli Manning and the offense to force the ball downfield, a trait that devastated the Giants last season.

2. The Secondary is a Liability

The secondary, which was projected to be the team’s strength before the season and potentially one of the best units in the entire league, is now a major weakness as three of the four top corners went down with season-ending injuries. Now at cornerback, the Giants only have Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who is fighting a multitude of injuries to his right leg and back, Zack Bowman, who has never seen extended playing time in his entire career and may not play moving forward due to an abdominal injury, Jayron Hosley, who has struggled throughout his career to grasp the defensive system, Chandler Fenner, who was recently promoted from the practice squad, and Chykie Brown, whom the Giants just signed off of the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad. As they are dangerously thin at corner, teams moving forward will attempt to exploit this huge weakness.

3. The Giants desperately need Rashad Jennings back

For the third straight week, rookie Andre Williams started at running back. And for the third straight week, he underperformed and the ground game as a whole was terrible. Not coincidentally, the Giants lost all three. Without Rashad Jennings, who has missed the past three losses with a sprained MCL suffered in the Giants’ last victory against Atlanta, they could not establish the ground game at all. As a result, Eli Manning and the offense have had to face numerous third-and-long situations and subsequently could not convert and establish long drives. Against the Colts, Andre Williams only gained 22 yards on 12 carries, resulting in an abysmal 1.8 yards per carry. Their leading rusher on the night was Michael Cox, who had only two carries when the game was out of reach. In order to win, the Giants need Jennings to stabilize the position and bring back the Giants’ ground game that averaged 145 yards per game during the 3 game winning streak. He needs to take the bulk of the carries while Andre Williams takes the back seat and continues to develop his game. The return of Jennings, who averaged 4.4 yards per carry before going down, should alleviate the pressure on Manning and will improve the offense immensely.

4. Robert Ayers Needs to Start Alongside Jason Pierre-Paul

Defensively, the secondary looked sluggish and left the middle of the field wide open to be gashed by quarterback Andrew Luck. The linebackers could not cover the Colts’ tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener, allowing 8 receptions for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns between them. The back seven for the Giants simply had an awful game. But, the front four conversely played well. Andrew Luck had pressure in his face the whole game and was hit 11 times. Notably, free agent signing defensive end Robert Ayers had a great game. Ayers finished with three tackles, one sack, a forced fumble, and seven quarterback hits. Head coach Tom Coughlin praised Ayers on his play as one of the few bright spots in the game. He has played very well all season in limited playing time, as he has yet to start one game. He is 2nd on the team with three sacks despite playing just over 50% of all defensive snaps. He needs to see the field more, and should take over the starting job from Mathias Kiwanuka opposite Jason Pierre-Paul, who has been ineffective all season.

5. Odell Beckham Jr. is the Real Deal

Rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in only his fourth career game shined against the Colts. Possibly the lone bright spot for the offense, he finished with 8 receptions for 156 yards, with an excellent mark of 19.5 yards per reception. He also had a 59 yard reception in the third quarter, the type big play in which the Giants have badly lacked all season. His routes looked extremely sharp and his lightning speed was apparent all game. He also showed great ball skills and leaping ability. He was continually on the same page with Eli Manning, while Rueben Randle continues to have weekly miscommunications with Manning. After missing the first four games of the season, prompting doubts over his potential to live up to the high draft choice, his huge game against the Colts solidifies his place as the Giants best receiver only four games into his career. His future looks as bright as any wide receiver in the league and should continue to shine in weeks to come.

6. Jacquian Williams is Emerging as a Star

The fourth year player out of South Florida has consistently improved each season since being drafted, and is now an emerging star at outside linebacker for the Giants. Against the Colts, he led all players with 18 tackles and also tallied one pass defended. Williams has great size for the position at 6 foot 3 inches, while possessing unheralded speed as well. He was all over the field making tackles on Monday and should continue to be an anchor on the defense. With 69 tackles, he is third in the NFL amongst outside linebackers on the season, and 11th overall. He will continue to improve in pass coverage and emerge as a top outside linebacker in the league.

7. Eli Manning Needs Help from his Receivers

On the season, the Giants are 5th in the NFL in drops percentage, with 17 drops on 278 targets. On Monday, it was apparent that the receivers needed to step up and make plays in order to come back from the early deficit, but failed to do so. Preston Parker, the third receiver on the depth chart for the time being, dropped four passes before bringing in one reception. Both Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr. both dropped one pass each, with Randle’s drop coming on a key third down. Although Eli Manning did not have a good game, missing high on several throws, his receivers did not give him the opportunity to succeed. The receiving corps has to improve on their poor outing and make plays when Manning puts the ball in a catchable spot. In order for the Giants to win, they need better play from their complementary receivers other than Odell Beckham Jr., and on Monday this was far from the case.

8. Preseason Sensation Corey Washington Needs to Play More

After the game was well out of hand, undrafted rookie Corey Washington caught 4 passes for 48 yards in he fourth quarter, including his first NFL touchdown. Washington made a splash this preseason when he caught four game-winning touchdowns on 10 total receptions. At 6 foot 4, he has the ideal size to be a dominant outside receiver in this league. Scouts have compared him to former Giant Plaxico Burress due to his size, and he displayed similarly great leaping ability and ball skills in limited playing time. His addition to the lineup could permanently move Odell Beckham Jr. into the slot, a position in which he has thrived in college and thus far in his career. The Giants must move him up the depth chart ahead of struggling Preston Parker to give Manning a big red zone threat on the outside along with tight end Larry Donnell. His addition into the rotation would immediately improve the receiving corps and create a formidable group of Beckham Jr., Rueben Randle, and himself.

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The game started at 7pm on Saturday night, but I wasn’t able to watch it until 11pm on NFL network.  I had my phone on silent…no texts, no social media and no phone calls.  I was on an information freeze.  I wanted to see and react to what happened in real time, not by second-hand accounts.

I rolled myself a…uhhh…I rolled myself up under a blanket and got ready to watch.  Then, I had agita all friggin’ night long.

We should be worried, Giants Nation.

Now, I will be the first to say that this is preseason, and this shit does not matter in terms of wins and losses, however in terms of progress, what we saw last night is damn troubling.  Now, we did see some encouraging things from the defense and also some great performances from individuals late in the game, but nothing got me so fired up or excited enough that I was unable to forget just how horrendous this 1st team offense looked the entire time they were in the game.

With that being said, let’s take a closer look at the positives and negatives with a little something I like to call P.N.P.   Positive-Negative-Positive!

Positive:

 The New Kids on The Block!

 Ryan Nassib – 11 for 15, 158 yards and 1 TD  — Nassib looked sharp in the 4th quarter.  Keep in mind he was playing against 3rd and 4th teamers, but he looked confident and was precise with his reads and throws.  He took what the defense gave him in certain spots and made some special throws on that final drive—like the two to Adrien Robinson.  The 27 yarder to Harvey was a pretty pass as well, where he stood tall in the pocket and made an accurate throw 20+ yards down the field on a line.  Hopefully, this ends the debate over who the 2nd QB is, because Painter is God awful.  Nassib has some potential and should not only see time against the Jets as the 2^nd-stringer, he should start the 4^th and final preseason game. From here on out, there is no need for Painter to take reps away from Nassib.

Corey Washington – 3 catches for 20 yards and 1 TD – Three games, three game-winning TDs. #Impressive – Even though it’s preseason, this kid has been quite the pleasant surprise.  So far, he has shown the ability to use his body to get position on opposing CBs while securing the ball for the catch on shorter routes.  However, the thing to take notice of is how he attacks the ball in the air on deep passes and the fade routes.  I don’t know about you, but I for one am ready to see Washington get some reps with the 1st team.

Marcus “Soup” Harris – 4 catches for 41 yards – Soup’s on again, folks. Harris once again showed quickness, toughness and good hands while making some key 4^th quarter catches for Nassib.  Harris seems to just have a feel for the routes and where to sit in the windows that the defense lets open up.  He is another one that we should see get some reps with the ones.

Adrien Robinson – 2 catches for 59 yards and one hell of a spin move – We FINALLY got a glimpse of the talent Jerry Reese has been raving about for years now.  On 4^th and 16, Nassib found Robinson down the seam spinning back around to his left to make a touch-catch in traffic,  but it was the very next play that provided the WOW factor.  On the next throw, Nassib fired a gorgeous pass to Robinson who did a great job lunging forward to snag the ball and then, had the awareness to come down with the ball, plant his leg, and spin away from a would be-tackler to gain some extra yardage.  Hopefully, this is a performance that the young man can build on moving forward.  We saw the talent, now we have to hope he can do it in practice to prove to the coaching staff he can perform on a consistent level.

 Negative:

 First-Team offense?

 Saturday night, Peter King of Sports Illustrated tweeted, “The Giants would worry me a lot. No sign they’re picking up McAdoo’s offense. Cruz invisible. Eli shaky.”

Steve Politi of NJ.com tweeted, “Look: Do NOT draw conclusions from the NFL preseason. That said? Holy crap, the Giants’ offense stinks.”

 Ed Valentine of Big Blue View wrote Sunday Morning...

 “Eli Manning went 1-for-7 for six yards. He had a 51-yard completion to Victor Cruz, but Cruz fumbled and an Indianapolis penalty wiped out that mistake. Manning threw an interception—an awful decision to throw the ball to Cruz—that was also wiped out by a Colts penalty.

 The Giants averaged 1.8 yards per play and gained just 48 yards.

 Three of the Giants five first downs came thanks to Indianapolis penalties.

 The Giants ran the ball 13 times for 41 yards, an average of 3.2 yards per carry.

 Those are just the raw numbers. Discouragingly, the Giants could not block any of the Indianapolis blitzes or stunts in pass protection. They couldn’t move the pile to create running lanes either.

 “I’m not frustrated. We’re not frustrated. We’re working out the kinks,” Cruz told Beck during a sideline interview.

 Cruz can say that, but it has to be alarming that no noticeable progress has been made offensively. The Giants, right now, don’t block, pass, or run very well. They have two preseason games left to find some answers.”

 So, I am not the only one starting to get a little concerned when it comes to this offense.  There was zero push from the offensive line and hence, no running game to speak of at all. Blitzers were coming through, untouched, causing Eli to throw off his back foot. Eli threw a horrible interception that was negated by a penalty.  And when they finally did do something right—like the long pass to Cruz—he fumbled.

Did I expect the Giants to look like the greatest show on turf last night?  No.  Did I expect to see improvements and progress in the new offense? Damn right I did.  All we saw last night from this unit was ineptitude.

The line looks shaky to say the least, and unless Mosley wakes up or the Giants make a move for Alex Boone, sign Richie Incognito or find Chris Snee a fountain of youth—we should all be worried that he alone may get Eli killed this season.  The blitz pressure was coming right up the middle at Eli, forcing him to rush the throws and make them off his back foot…like last season.  Uh oh! That alone is cause for concern and when you add in the fact that the line—except for one play last week (Jennings’ 73 yard TD run)— has not provided a push at the line of scrimmage, it raises multiple red flags.

On a side note…one has to wonder if Eli is losing confidence in Rueben Randle in general.  In Thursday’s practice it was reported that Randle again ran an incorrect route.  Randle neglected to turn around for the ball, and that mistake resulted in an interception by Bowman.  This is the reason why I would let Harris and Washington get some 1^st  team reps…it may be time to send a message to Randle and Jernigan…step up, or sit down.

 Positive:

We always like to end on a positive note, so let’s try to find a silver-lining to this black cloud…

It’s preseason and there is nowhere to go but UP.  How is that for optimism….?

Hey, I expected to see vast improvement between the Hall of Fame Game and now, but that hasn’t happened.  Am I throwing in the towel? Not at all.

But, to sit here and say—after seeing this offense last night—that I am not concerned, well…that would make me full of shit, and although I maybe an asshole…I am not full of shit.

Listen, they should get better.  There is talent here and sometimes it takes time to come together, but seeing week-to-week progress from this unit is not asking for too much.  I am not of the mindset that we need this offense to score 30+ a game.  I think with this defense and a solid running game, this team can win the division as long as they protect the ball.

However, a solid running game is not a given though because we now have Jennings and Williams…we need this line to play better and fast.  I don’t care about all the weapons.  Cruz, Jennings, Randle, Williams, Washington, Harris, Jernigan and last but not least ODB won’t be setting off any fireworks unless Beatty, Schwartz, Walton, Mosley and Pugh gel as a unit.

Can this be as simple a fix as just letting this line keep playing together? Maybe.

It was Beatty’s first live action this preseason. Schwartz is new to this system and these players, as is Walton, who missed time last year with an ankle injury.  These problems may all alleviate themselves in time with the players just getting more comfortable with the scheme and each other…let’s just hope Eli is still standing by then.

We have time, three weeks ‘till opening night in Detroit, but tic-toc, fellas…it’s getting late early.

The post Giants 1st Team Offense is Scary, and Not in a Good Way. first appeared on Bleedbigblue.com.

Sometimes you just a have to prove people wrong. In sports this is often the case. We all love the underdog story. Its simple when you are given an opportunity, you run with it you seize the moment. This is the case for Corey Washington.

Washington, a 6-foot-4, 214-pound wide receiver from Division II Newberry College went undrafted and originally asked to join the Arizona Cardinals in camp. The Cardinals eventually cut Washington later that May. The Giants lacking a big target wide out signed the undrafted free agent.

I have a big chip on my shoulder,” he says. “I feel like if I’d been to a big school, I’d have been a top-10 wide receiver. People just fell asleep on me because I went to a small school. They expect me not to do nothing big at this level just because of the name of the school. I’m here to prove my point. said Washington.

Washington has impressed in his first two preseason games, scoring impressive touchdowns each game,.

“I feel more at home,” he said of his second NFL team in a career that isn’t even two months old. “The guys here, they welcomed me right away. I love the coaches, the coaches love me. Everything is great.”

His hustle and handwork seem to be paying off.

“I’ll work, that’s it,” Washington said. “Keep showing them I have that ‘want to.’ Get after it every day, grind hard, and show them I can make plays and that it doesn’t matter what school you come from.”

“It’s the Big Apple, man,” Washington said. “It’s every player’s dream. It’s a great organization. I love the players here. I love the fans. It’s just a great opportunity for me.”

It’s looking good, The Giants have a good track record with undrafted wide receivers.

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Preseason is preseason.  It should be taken with a grain of salt.  No reason to yell and scream at the TV or get agita for a day or two. At least not yet.

Preseason football is a necessary evil.  I personally hate it.  It’s great to see the team play again especially after a year like last season, but the outcomes mean nothing. I saw some people talking smack on social media and it left me quite befuddled…Talking smack to Bills and Steelers fans over these preseason games makes us look like Eagles fans. STOP IT! These games mean nothing!!

These games are a glorified practice sessions. It is a platform for guys trying to make a roster and work on their games…that it is and that is all.  So don’t watch these games with fire and brimstone, watch them with a careful eye. Try to look at specific players and their performance to see how they can help us during the games that matter.

I watched and took notes and then watched it again and took more notes. I had a handful of things I was looking for going into Sunday night and what I saw was good in some cases and troubling in others.  Keep in mind through the preseason that this team is a work in progress.  They are growing accustomed to a new offense and new players up and down this roster.  We need to have patience and perspective as fans and resist the temptation to make more out of these games then we should..

With that being said here are some players we should be excited about, along with some negatives from the Hall of Fame game last Sunday.

Cause for Concern:

Right Guard : Brandon Mosley is not a guy who should be starting at RG at all.  He was completely over matched by the talented defensive line of the Buffalo Bills (the Bills have 3 players on the D-line who had 10+ sacks last year).  It was a good test for our revamped O-line but one we did not pass with flying colors.

We shouldn’t be writing this unit off at all, but we should be keeping a close eye on how they progress.  Keep in mind they were missing Will Beatty at left tackle. Weston Richburg played well so Mosley’s days maybe numbered in the starting line up, but until Richburg is ready this is a spot we should keep a close eye on.  Will John Jerry or Weston Richburg step up?  Another guy to watch is Eric Herman…Herman is a tough kid with a mean streak.  He can’t do any worse then Mosley did.

Jayron Hosely, CB: The former 3rd pick from Virginia Tech didn’t do himself any favors on Sunday night in the highly competitive  race to make the team as a cornerback.  Hosley was beat repeatedly and was called for a penalty as well.  With the depth we have at this position Hosley’s days look numbered.

Mario Manningham, WR:  We love you Super Mario, and we will never forget “The Catch PT.II” but it looks as if the knee is holding you back.  Unless things change dramatically, I’d rather the Giants keep the kids like Washington and Harris around rather then have to worry about Mario’s knee all season long.

Players who caught our eye:

Andre Williams, RB: Kid just looks like a football player.  Williams seems to hit the hole hard and run down hill which leads to yards after contact (YAC) — Williams can be the steal of this draft for Big Blue.  And even though Jennings looked good as well, he is 29.  Andre Williams is the future at running back for this franchise.

Corey Washington, WR: The 6’4 undrafted rookie out of tiny Newberry College (enrollment 1,042) in South Carolina, made the play of the night for Big Blue.  You can forget the fact it was the game winner…means nothing.  What does mean something is how Washington made the play.  He went after the ball, he attacked it and he took a interception away and turned it into a TD. After Cruz, Randle, Beckham and Jernigan the WR spots are wide open.  With Manningham looking like his best days are behind him, Washington is one to watch through the next 4 games.

Cooper Taylor, Safety: Forget the missed assignment on the block punt, shit happens.  Look at the way this kid played his position on Sunday night.  Taylor led the Giants in tackles with 8 and had an interception as well.  Taylor played 38 plays on Sunday and according to safeties coach David Merritt, Taylor received a negative grade on just one.  He made tackles at the line of scrimmage, the right sideline, the left sideline and made a big play on a 3rd and 17 to knock the WR out of bounds and prevent him from securing a 1st down.

“The kid is a big height-weight-speed guy already,” Merritt said. “He has all the intangibles there that’s needed to play the position. But I think confidence — I think that’s the one thing that has happened with that young man, he has displayed more confidence this offseason.” 

I’ve been trying to tell you guys about Taylor…keep an eye on him.

Marcus Harris, WR: Victor Cruz on Marcus Harris: “From the game he had and streaming into practice, he’s been really taking advantage of his opportunity.”

Yes he has.  4 catches for 49 yards and showed good hands and quickness doing it.  Excited to see more from this kid in the coming weeks.

Jameel McClain, LB:  One player who jumped out on the tap in limited action was McClain.  He was constantly around the ball and made 4 tackles with one being for a loss.  McClain was fast to react showing great anticipation and was solid wrapping up and securing tackles.  Pairing McClain with Beason and an emerging Jacquian Williams (who looked good as well) gives us nice combo at the linebacker spot.  When was the last time we said that?

Ryan Nassib, QB: The one thing I am looking forward to through preseason is being able to see Nassib play for the next four weeks.  He has received a lot of criticism so far in his career and it is all unwarranted.  This is the 2nd offense this kid is learning in two seasons, so to say he didn’t look to sharp in OTA’s and the 1st weeks of training camp was exactly going out on a limb.  It takes time.  He underthrew Washington on the long TD and I’m sure he would tell you that he held the ball a little too long on that one, but he showed good accuracy and velocity on all of his intermediate throws.  This kid can play, and we should see vast improvement from here on out as gets more comfortable and confident in this offense and in himself.

Have a great week Giants fans — and as always…Bleed Big Blue!!!

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