Kyle Lauletta

New York Giants News, 6/19 – Alex Tanney vs Kyle Lauletta

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New York Giants, Kyle Lauletta

Good Morning, New York Giants Fans!

There’s little reason to believe Eli Manning won’t emerge as the starter come the beginning of the 2019 regular season. Head coach Pat Shurmur has already stated that it’s essentially Manning’s job to lose and that rookie passer Daniel Jones needs to be learning and soaking in every ounce of wisdom from the veteran quarterback.

There’s a simple fact, however — Jones is the penciled in backup for Manning. Both Alex Tanney and Kyle Lauletta represent little threat to Jones for the No. 2 spot, in fact, they’re battling for a single roster spot at the moment.

Preseason will likely give us a better indication of who will remain on the roster, but I assume Lauletta will continue with the team and Tanney will get cut. Why? Because the Giants aren’t going to win a Super Bowl this upcoming season — rebuilding and giving the second-year player ample time to adapt should be the priority, which is the only reason Lauletta makes the cut.

Also, Tanney’s 14 pass attempts in an actual game over a six-year span doesn’t necessarily scream efficient. It’s Lauletta’s backup job to lose, and if Shurmur has any faith in the Richmond passer, he will keep him around to continue learning behind the scenes. He could very well end up being Jones’ backup for the future, similar to Ryan Nassib throughout Manning’s career.

Nonetheless–

Ed Valentine (Big Blue View) – Maurice Jones-Drew: Saquon Barkley NFL’s best running back

Anthony Rivardo (Empire Sports Media) – New York Giants: What Will Be Oshane Ximines’s Role In 2019?

Dan Benton (Giants Wire) – PFF lists Giants center Jon Halapio as a ‘rising star’

Matt Lombardo (NJ.com) – Ex-Giants bust Ereck Flowers in line to open season in Redskins’ starting lineup

Cindy Boren (Washington Post) – The Giant’s rookie quarterback hears his first boos — at a Yankees game

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Check out the best news from yesterday!

New York Giants News, 6/18 – Evan Engram primed for a big year?

New York Giants: Kyle Lauletta Was Told Not To Worry

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One of the more interesting players on the New York Giants at the moment is second year quarterback Kyle Lauletta, who many thought would be a longer term project player when he was drafted last offseason. However, Lauletta’s regular season appearance in 2018 left a lot to be desired and the brief hype was never really lived up to – fans sometimes called for Lauletta to start following the team’s disaster of a beginning to the season, but those calls seemingly vanished as soon as Lauletta had time in an actual game, resulting in multiple turnovers.

This offseason, the Giants made a move which looks suspiciously like they’re moving away from Lauletta entirely. They brought in Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick in the draft, and Jones has immediately moved up in the depth chart to take the spot behind Eli Manning for a year, or possibly more, before his own time in the spotlight comes.

With the Giants also drafting Syracuse QB Eric Dungey and retaining last year’s third stringer, Alex Tanney, it looks like Lualetta could also end up pushed out of the depth chart entirely, not just the main backup spot. However, according to the New York Post, the team told Lauletta to not worry about that possibility and to just do his job.

“After the draft they just told me, ‘Don’t worry about that … just do your job.’ The minute I start worrying about another guy, it’s just wasted energy for me. Look at last year, I got drafted and Davis Webb did the year previous. We’re all professionals, we’re all trying to play. I’m going to continue to be a pro and do everything I can to impress the coaches and play well on the field. I’ll just wait for my next shot,” Lauletta said.

Lauletta also claims to have improved and that last season was similar to his first year at the University of Richmond, where he eventually became an accomplished starter. “I look at the rookies walking in and just see their faces, it’s just like being a freshman in college all over again. I remember even at the University of Richmond, I wasn’t that great of a quarterback my freshman year. I think I’ve make some serious strides.”

Despite this, however, it looks increasingly like Lauletta might join a list of wasted mid round picks that the Giants have spent on quarterbacks, only to have them not make any difference on the field. That list also includes Davis Webb, who Lauletta was able to beat out last season. Lauletta hasn’t been cut out of the running completely, but with the Giants investing heavily in Daniel Jones, it’s going to be hard to win back last season’s spot as backup for the second year player.

New York Giants: Alex Tanney Confident Going Into Position Battle With Lauletta

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New York Giants, Eli Manning

It looks like the New York Giants are going to have a quarterback competition or two this season – but not at the number one spot. Rather, the battle this year is going to be between multiple backup quarterbacks trying to play behind Eli Manning and secure a spot on the roster for the season coming up.

Those quarterbacks include the rookie Daniel Jones, last season’s rookie Kyle Lauletta, and veteran Alex Tanney, who is often forgotten and not included in conversations about the position, as well as Syracuse rookie and multi position player Eric Dungey, who may or may not even enter the competition as a quarterback.

Despite being forgotten by many, however, Tanney isn’t panicking at the new competition being introduced this season. “The role of a backup quarterback is being as prepared, if not more prepared, than the guy who’s playing, never knowing if you’re going to play. I feel like I’ve gotten into good habits and a routine of studying and preparing and putting in the work like I’m going to play. You always have to be ready,” Tanney said to the Pantagraph.

“I feel like we have a great room. Obviously, Eli has so much knowledge and experience and has had so much success. Daniel has been a great addition to the room. I think we do a good job of competing and pushing each other to help our team win,” Tanney continued. “I’m excited for what we have going on in the building here [with the Giants].”

It’s not surprising that Tanney is confident even with Jones being brought in as another quarterback in the backup rotation. Both Lauletta and Davis Webb have been on the roster at the same time as Tanney and yet Tanney has still remained on the roster despite both players being higher rated in the eyes of the media. And depending on how things play out, Tanney could also outlast Lauletta after a poor showing from last year’s draft pick.

The number one spot has already been decided and Eli Manning is going to be the starter. But beyond that? The competition at quarterback is one of the most competitive on the roster right now.

New York Giants: What Will The Giants Do With All Of The Quarterbacks On Their Roster?

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New York Giants quarterback, Eli Manning.

The New York Giants currently have 5 quarterbacks on their roster. The team recently drafted quarterback Daniel Jones with the 6th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has not yet signed his rookie deal, but once he has, the Giants will have 6 quarterbacks on their roster.

The quarterback was a position of need for the Giants heading into this offseason. Because of this, the Giants made sure to improve their quarterback room. But now the Giants have too many quarterbacks on the roster. The question is, who will stay and who will go?

Who Will Definitely Be On The Roster?

The Giants will definitely hold at least two quarterbacks on their roster. The two quarterbacks locked into roster spots are Eli Manning and Daniel Jones.

The Giants have committed to Eli Manning as their starter for the 2019 season. Manning is a franchise legend heading into his 16th season. But in 2018, Eli posted a career-high completion percentage at 66%, showing that he still has the ability to start in the NFL.

Eli will also have an additional task in 2019. He will need to teach Daniel Jones what he can and help the rookie prepare for the day he becomes the next franchise quarterback. Daniel Jones is obviously a lock to make the roster in 2019.

Daniel Jones was the 6th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Giants are committed to Daniel Jones being the team’s next franchise quarterback after Eli Manning retires or moves on from New York.

Daniel Jones threw for 2,674 yards, 22 touchdown passes, and only 9 interceptions in his final season at Duke. Jones is a quarterback the Giants need to develop, but they have the next 5 years on his rookie contract to turn him into a franchise quarterback.

Who Might Be On The Roster?

The Giants will definitely hold two quarterbacks on the roster in 2019, but it is possible they carry more than two. Alex Tanney recently signed a two-year contract extension with the New York Giants.

However, the contract is only worth $2,150,000, so the Giants do not necessarily need to commit to Tanney. They could end up cutting him this offseason.

The Giants typically do like to have a veteran backup quarterback so it would not be surprising if they kept Tanney. But the Giants do have younger options if they want to hold three or more quarterbacks on the roster.

Kyle Lauletta was drafted by the Giants in the round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The rookie received a lot of hype from Giants fans but underwhelmed when he got playing time in the regular season. Lauletta went 0 for 5 with 1 interception against the Redskins.

Despite this lackluster performance, the Giants could still see some potential in Lauletta based on his collegiate performance. But if the Giants are ready to move on from Lauletta, he could have a decent trade market.

The Giants also have a darkhorse player that could make the roster at quarterback. But this player could make the roster at another position, too. Eric Dungey is a versatile player who played quarterback in college but could play multiple positions in the NFL, similar to the Saints’ Taysom Hill.

If the Giants want to have a more progressive offense and try some innovative, multi-position players, Dungey would be the perfect option as the third quarterback on the roster.

New York Giants: The Book Is Closed On The Kyle Lauletta Experiment

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It’s a far cry from how things were when the New York Giants first drafted Kyle Lauletta. At first there was a bit of an optimistic feeling as the Giants took a player that looked pretty good and appeared to be undervalued because of playing for a school that few would have followed, one that plays in the FCS Division of NCAA football. It looked like Lauletta had some potential and had been undervalued, and with Eli Manning struggling, a lot of fans were quite willing to see Lauletta hit the field quickly.

That, however, didn’t go as planned. Lauletta did manage to get on the field during his rookie season but the outcome wasn’t what anyone expected. Not everyone thought Lauletta would be good, but most didn’t think it would be as bad as it was. Five incompletions, one interception, and a passer rating of zero. It doesn’t help that roughly a month or so earlier, Lauletta severely hurt his reputation with the team by being involved in a dangerous driving incident.

But a lot of quarterbacks have bad rookie seasons and rookies usually get another season or more to prove themselves, right?

Well, it doesn’t look like the Giants are going to be that patient with Lauletta, who wasn’t drafted with a high enough pick to justify that patience.

The most obvious sign of this is that the team spent the number six overall pick on Daniel Jones, meaning they want to try again with finding Eli Manning’s successor. And after that pick, Lauletta seems somewhat forgotten.

No one is talking about a quarterback competition between Daniel Jones and Kyle Lauletta. But everyone is talking about Jones sitting behind Manning and eventually starting. In some ways, that’s just how these things work. The player drafted in the top ten is always going to be expected to become the starter eventually.

However, that’s not the only sign. Depending on how things go, Lauletta might not even end up the third string quarterback. The Giants didn’t just draft a quarterback, they’ve also signed a relatively notable one as an undrafted free agent. That’s Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey, who recently helped lead Syracuse to a 10-3 season and a win in the Camping World Bowl.

Dungey was highly rated after the draft and according to Syracuse.com had offers from five teams at the time that he finally agreed to join the Giants.

It looks like Dungey will be in the mix to be the one behind Daniel Jones and Eli Manning in the order of quarterbacks, and if that’s the case, it’s hard to see Lauletta remaining a legitimate option. Is giving up on Lauletta completely the right move? Maybe, maybe not. There’s not really much chance for Lauletta to compete when Jones was drafted with the sixth pick and is expected to start at some point, to prevent the pick from being wasted.

And if the Giants go into the season with three quarterbacks, Dungey looks like the more likely option to be the third one than Lauletta does.

It’s mildly frustrating to see the Giants spend a pick on a quarterback who received a small amount of hype and then see that quarterback drop out of the standings completely the next season, essentially meaning the pick was a complete waste, but in the NFL Draft, no team is perfect. Busts happen. And after one season, it looks like Kyle Lauletta will go down as one of the early draft busts in the Gettleman era.

New York Giants: Quarterbacks To Watch At The Senior Bowl

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The New York Giants drafted

We know the Giants love to draft players from the senior bowl. Last year’s Senior Bowl MVP, quarterback Kyle Lauletta, was a 4th round selection for the Giants in 2018. In 2017, Giants’ third round pick Davis Webb was the Senior Bowl MVP. They also picked another Senior Bowl standout in the third round of the 2018 Draft: B.J. Hill.

With a history of drafting players who perform in the Senior Bowl, it would not be a surprise if the Giants look to draft another senior quarterback in 2019.

North Team Quarterbacks:

The two most notable quarterbacks on the Senior Bowl North Team roster are Drew Lock and Daniel Jones. They are both projected to be first or second round selections in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The two other quarterbacks are Ryan Finley and Trace McSorley. Neither of them have received first round buzz recently, but they could be mid-round selections that NFL teams will look to turn into developmental players. It is unlikely that the Giants will spend another mid-round pick on a quarterback in 2019, after taking one in 2018. The quarterbacks to watch out of Mobile in 2019 for the Giants are Lock and Jones.

Drew Lock is a senior out of Missouri. In his official Senior Bowl weigh-in, Lock was measured at 6′ 3″, 223 lbs., with a 33.5″ arm length and 9″ hands. On the first day of Senior Bowl practice, Lock excelled.

According to The Draft Network, he was the best of all the quarterbacks. Drew Lock was a statistically great quarterback in his junior and senior years at Missouri. As a junior, Lock threw 44 touchdown passes to 13 interceptions with 3,964 yards. This is certainly his best statistical season. However, Lock played a cleaner game as a senior. He reduced his interception total to only 8 and still added 28 touchdown passes.

Daniel Jones, the NFL prototype out of Duke, struggled in his first practice of the Senior Bowl. He weighed in at 220 lbs. to go along with his 6′ 5″ frame that scouts love. He also has big hands at 9 3/4″ with long 33 1/4″ arms.

Jones struggled with ball placement and timing even during on-air drills, consistently putting balls behind their receivers or forcing them to slow and wait on vertical patterns. Jones improved a little in the 1-on-1s, dropping in a nice corner route for his best throw of the day.

Daniel receives a lot of first round buzz due in part to his former coach. David Cutcliffe is a great quarterback coach who got multiple players ready for the NFL, including Eli Manning and Peyton Manning. Statistically, Daniel Jones will not blow you away. However, he has the prototypical body type and all the physical tools to succeed at the next level, plus the professional coaching.

Ryan Finley out of NC State used to be projected as one of the top quarterbacks in the 2019 draft class. However, after his senior year, he has slipped in prospect rankings. One red flag with Finley is his age. He is 24 years old. That makes him older than all of the first round quarterbacks in last year’s draft, and a year older than second-year pro Patrick Mahomes. However, Finley showed flashes of great play in college. With a great week at the Senior Bowl, Finley’s stock could rise again.

Trace McSorley is an undersized signal-caller from Penn State. He played in a run-heavy offense with Saquon Barkley in 2017. In 2018, McSorley actually threw even less passes for lower statistics. However, he is a dual-threat quarterback. McSorley ran in 11 touchdowns in 2017 and 12 in 2018. In 2018, he totaled an impressive 798 rushing yards. What scouts have seen from McSorley as a thrower is a small sample size. However, his rushing ability is enough to draw him some interest. Trace could use a big week in Mobile to move up the big boards.

 

New York Giants: Should Kyle Lauletta Start The Last Two Games?

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New York Giants, Kyle Lauletta

Kyle Lauletta has been one of the more talked about backup quarterbacks this season, but not always for the right reasons. Lauletta has been in the conversation not because of out performing the current starter, but because it looks like New York Giants legend Eli Manning is on the decline and could be playing his last season as the team’s number one quarterback. With a quarterback competition likely to start in 2019, there’s a lot of pressure on Lauletta as the backup QB that’s already on the roster.

But it looks more and more like the Giants will definitely go to the draft to acquire new talent at the position, instead of trusting in their 2018 fourth round draft pick. It was always a longshot for Lauletta to start, but the rookie didn’t help himself with a poor performance in his only regular season appearance, which saw him throw no completions and one interception. One game later, against Tennessee, Lauletta was left off the active roster.

Things are different now, however. The Giants aren’t in the race for the playoffs, having been mathematically eliminated with their 17-0 loss to the Titans. With this in mind, should they start Lauletta for the remaining two games of the year?

Despite the awful debut, it’s important to see what the team has on their hands with Lauletta. If Lauletta plays badly against the Colts and Cowboys, for example, it could spell an early end to his run as even a fringe contender for the starting job. A couple of really good performances, on the other hand, could show Giants management that drafting a quarterback high in the draft isn’t necessarily required.

It would take a lot to convince anyone of that, though. It’s unlikely, statistically, that Lauletta has a turnaround during the last two games of the season if given a chance, and amazes the coaches with a overachieving performance. But similar things have happened in the past and it’s impossible to know if Lauletta is that kind of player without a proper sample size. After all, the rookie only has five pass attempts for the entire regular season.

This would come at a price. If Lauletta doesn’t have a miracle turnaround, it would lower the team’s chances of winning. This could be either a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. While many will say that the Giants should try to win at all costs, a compelling argument can also be made that losing the last two games of the season would benefit them in the future by giving them a better pick in the draft.

If the season was over right now, the Giants would finish with the 8th overall pick. That position could get better or it could worsen depending on what happens through the last two games, but from a purely pragmatic standpoint, starting Lauletta would increase their chances of a higher pick. That’s not the only reason or even the main reason that the Giants should consider this, however. The chance of a higher pick is an extra bonus, while the main appeal is the chance to evaluate the current backup quarterback and see if Lauletta will seriously compete for a role next season or not.

Don’t count on the Giants actually starting Lauletta in the Indianapolis and Dallas games, though. He was left off the active roster for the Titans loss, something that doesn’t spell good things at all for his chances of getting playing time in the future.

New York Giants: One Overlooked Detail In Chicago Win

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New York Giants, Kyle Lauletta

The New York Giants surprised everyone with a win against the Chicago Bears, a team they weren’t supposed to beat and weren’t picked to beat by many fans or media members. The win, which came in overtime, could be considered the best of the season for the Giants. The team showed the resilience to win in overtime, Odell Beckham Jr. threw a touchdown pass, and they upset an opponent that sits at first place in the NFC North with a two game lead.

But there’s one other notable thing from this game, something that might go under the radar because of everything else that happened. That, of course, is the fact that Kyle Lauletta was active and could have played in this game, for the first time this season. While that obviously didn’t happen, it’s a change from earlier in the season where Lauletta was left off the game day roster every week.

“Excited to put on the uniform, I’ve been wanting to all season. It’s a good feeling. I don’t know what will happen from here. I’m just gonna keep preparing and get as ready as I can each week in case I have to go into the game,” said Lauletta.

Going into the game is something that could very well happen, because despite the win, it’s generally accepted that the Giants aren’t going to the playoffs. The team has four games left, and with the offseason and the NFL Draft looming in the distance, it’s hard to imagine the Giants not giving any game time to the quarterback that’s already on their roster.

Lauletta might not be the player they’re looking for as Eli Manning’s successor, but they can’t know that until he plays.  What does head coach Pat Shurmur think? Well, he had some praises that might also indicate playing time coming soon for Lauletta. “Behind the scenes he’s done a good job. He’s making progress here during the season and it’s just the next step for him.”

It’s possible that Lauletta hasn’t played at this point because of his arrest earlier in the year, which makes him a slightly less attractive option at quarterback. It’s never a good thing, after all, when the most notable thing that your quarterback has done is to get arrested for dangerous driving. But with the season winding down and only four games remaining, the Giants coaching staff may decide that the rookie has been left out of the plans enough because of the incident.

How The Giants Likely Plan To Handle Their Quarterback Sitation

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New York Giants, Kyle Lauletta

As we approach week nine after the BYE, the New York Giants are in a peculiar situation. They can either continue to start Eli Manning and hope for the best from the veteran signal caller, or they can give rookie QB Kyle Lauletta a chance to display his skill set.

This week I heard something interesting. We all know how great Patrick Mahomes has been so far in 2018, but according to his father, the passer wouldn’t be anywhere near his current self if he didn’t have last year to develop.

I can imagine that head coach Pat Shurmur is worried about Lauletta being rushed into things, especially considering he’s a fourth-round pick. Using this time to refine his weaknesses and allowing him to sit behind Manning to learn the intangibles of being a Super Bowl winning quarterback is essential.

Starting the rookie now would be a mistake, no matter how much we want to see Manning benched for eternity.

Who will start for the New York Giants next Monday?

Shurmur stated on Tuesday that Manning would remained the starter following the BYE. The two have had several discussions about the team and how the veteran needs to perform better moving forward. I would anticipate that the Giants will activate Lauletta by week 12 and look to play him at the end of the games if the score allows it.

EXTRA:

Shurmur ensured that the Lauletta would not be suspended by the team for his traffic violation last week. The youngster made a mistake and has clearly learned his lesson with a lot at stake. The consequences will be handled internally.

 

New York Giants: Kyle Lauletta’s Career Could Come Undone Already

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It seems like the New York Giants have been a cursed team for the last couple of years. Just when everyone started thinking that Kyle Lauletta might get a shot to play, and maybe even compete to be the next quarterback of the team going forward, bad luck struck the Giants again and something just had to happen to get in the way of it.

Well, to call it bad luck would be disingenuous. This isn’t a case of a freak injury but of an intentional decision. A stupid decision that amounts to Lauletta shooting himself in the foot, yes, but a decision nonetheless.

This, of course, was the decision to evade the police and get arrested recently. This isn’t some misunderstanding either, but a genuine case of a crime being committed by the Giants backup quarterback. Reports say that Lauletta drove recklessly, nearly ran over a police officer, and refused to show identification.

If just one of those things happened, it would have looked bad. All of those things at once? Even if this doesn’t result in a major punishment legally, it could easily derail whatever chance Lauletta had at taking over and making an impact on the field this season.

It’s not a particularly good look for an organization when its quarterback was recently seen being arrested after almost running over cops, and just for PR reasons alone, Lauletta’s chances to get on the field have probably been minimized and delayed by now.

Even putting PR aside, it’s hard to imagine that head coach Pat Shurmur isn’t going to take this seriously. If Lauletta went on to start or get significant playing time without some kind of punishment, it wouldn’t set a very good precedent for anyone else on the team.

Now, Lauletta isn’t the only quarterback to get in trouble this year, with Jameis Winston serving a suspension for some off the field trouble earlier this season. But there’s some big differences. First, said off the field trouble happened before the season began, meaning it wasn’t fresh in everyone’s heads by the time Winston was actually playing. Second, Winston isn’t a rookie fifth round draft pick who would be starting against the odds even if he did have a perfect off the field record.

Lauletta just doesn’t have the credentials to bounce back from this right away, and if he still has a shot with the team, it will likely be next year rather than this year. Which means that most likely, Lauletta will have to compete with a younger draft pick who is expected to be the immediate starter, rather than an aging Eli Manning who has fans clamoring for his exit.

It’s not a good position for a young quarterback to be in. But that’s just the kind of effect that bad choices can have on a new career.