Portrait » Eli Apple is now a member of the New Orleans Saints

http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/aldrick-rosas-jersey , the New York Giants having shipped him off on Tuesday in exchange for a 2019 fourth-round pick and a 2020 seventh-rounder. Damon Harrison is now a member of the Detroit Lions, sent packing for a fifth-round pick.Let’s examine what’s been done, what might be yet to come, and what probably isn’t going to happen.Trading Eli AppleThe trade of Apple is the clearest sign yet that the “Clean Slate Era” is over. Apple, the 2016 first-round pick by former GM Jerry Reese, sees his tumultuous time with the Giants come to an end. That follows by just a couple of weeks the Giants jettisoning Reese’s failed 2015 first-round pick, offensive tackle Ereck Flowers. The Giants, in fact, have set about pretty much erasing Reese’s draft picks from their roster.2011 first-round pick Jason Pierre-Paul was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the offseason.2013 first-round pick Justin Pugh was allowed to walk in free agency.So, too, was 2014 second-round pick Weston Richburg. Other 2014 picks let go during the offseason were safety Nat Berhe and linebacker Devon Kennard.Darian Thompson, Jerell Adams and now Apple are gone from the 2016 class.Davis Webb and Adam Bisnowaty are gone from the 2017 class.The only Reese first-round picks who remain are Odell Beckham Jr. (2014) and Evan Engram (2017).Trading Damon HarrisonThe trade of Harrison is also understandable. As terrific as he is as a run-stuffer, he is really just that in a league dominated by the pass. Harrison will be 30 before the season ends. He has a massive contract with cap hits of $8.6 million next season and $10.85 million in 2020. If my math is right (Pat Traina, please help me!) the Giants will save a shade more than $4.3 million this season by trading him now.In their current circumstance, with impressive third-round pick B.J. Hill being a natural hit at the nose tackle position, dealing Harrison made sense. Remember also that the Giants have a couple of weeks to make a decision on whether to activate or IR fifth-round pick R.J. McIntosh, a defensive end. Moving Hill from end to nose clears a path to get McIntosh on the field if the Giants believe he’s ready.Why were the Giants able to get a fourth- and seventh-round pick for Apple but only a fifth-round pick for Harrison, who would seem to be the better player?Simple, really. Age and contract. Apple is a 23-year-old still on his rookie contract. Harrison is a soon-to-be 30-year-old with more than $20 million remaining on his five-year, $46.25 million deal.With the NFL trade deadline of Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 4 p.m. ET less than a week away what other business might the Giants be able to conduct between now and then?What they almost certainly won’t do That would be to trade quarterback Eli Manning. First of all, Manning’s contract carries a full no-trade clause. Manning has a home in New Jersey, a wife http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/will-hernandez-jersey , and three young daughters. He told WFAN’s Mike Francesa he isn’t thinking about going elsewhere.Even if he does OK a trade, are there are suitors?The only team that really makes any sense for Manning is the Jacksonville Jaguars, where Tom Coughlin is in charge of personnel and the Jaguars are figuring out that Blake Bortles isn’t going to win them a championship. Still, Jacksonville reportedly has no plans to trade for a quarterback.That leaves Manning and the Giants together for at least the rest of this season.Coach Pat Shurmur was asked Tuesday if he thought Manning would still be the Giants’ quarterback after the trade deadline.“Yes, I do. I think Eli will be our quarterback,” Shurmur said. “He has been, and he’ll continue to be here.”For how long is anyone’s guess. A couple of games? The rest of the season? Into next year? The only thing we seem to know is that Manning is almost certainly going to remain a member of the Giants for the remainder of the season.What else can they do?Maybe not as much as you might think, or hope.GM Dave Gettleman has been sending Reese era draft picks out the door with alacrity, and teams would certainly be wise to call the Giants and ask about Landon Collins, Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard. Those, though, are young building-block players good not only on the field but in the locker room. It seems unlikely the Giants would be willing to part with those guys, especially when their actions are making it apparent they are more about the future than the present.The only two highly-paid veteran players left who might draw interest from other teams are cornerback Janoris Jenkins and EDGE player Olivier Vernon.Jenkins is an obvious candidate to go — if the Giants can find a suitor for the cornerback, who turns 30 in just a few days. There is a report that the Pittsburgh Steelers have shown some interest in Jenkins, but he really isn’t an easy sell.First, he’s 30. Second, including what he is owed for the rest of this season, he has more than $30 million left on his five-year, $62.5 million contract. Third, he really hasn’t played well since 2016, the only Pro Bowl season of his career, which is now in its seventh season.With Apple and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie gone, Jenkins is the last of the trio of cornerbacks who were suspended in 2017 to be on the roster. Considering the tear down the Giants are currently engaged in it would seem stunning if he were in their plans for 2019. If the Giants can get anything for Jackrabbit they figure to take it.Vernon is the only highly-paid defender who seems more likely to stay. There is http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/b.j.-goodson-jersey , in fact, a report that the Giants are not shopping Vernon. Yes, he’s been injured a lot over the past two seasons. Yes, he’s overpaid and still has more than $40 million remaining on five-year, $85 million contract. He is, however, still just 28. When he is on the field, he is an impact player — the only pass rusher the Giants have who draws a double team from opposing offenses. His work ethic and quiet locker room demeanor set a good example for the younger players around him.Perhaps if someone were to approach the Giants and overwhelm them with an offer for Vernon they would take it, but that seems unlikely to happen. He probably stays. With a healthy Odell Beckham Jr., a spectacular back like No. 2 overall pick Saquon Barkley, a rebuilt offensive line, a two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and coach with a reputation for building quality offenses the New York Giants were expected to feature an explosive, high-scoring attack in 2018.At 1-3, averaging just 18.25 points per game and having failed to reach the 20-point mark in all of their losses that has yet to come to fruition.Beckham, without a touchdown catch and averaging a career-worst 10.7 yards per catch, thinks he knows why.“It’s really about finding the balance. I think that might be the answer. We just haven’t found that balance,” Beckham said. “We haven’t found a way to get up and down the field, move it here, move it there, throw it, run it, reverse it, whatever it is. We just haven’t found that balance.”Because I can http://www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com/cheap-aldrick-rosas-jersey , that means were taking a break for this:Can the Giants find that balance?We have been discussing all week the things the Giants need to do better in order to find that balance. They include:Making sure they don’t forget to hand the ball to Barkley often enough to make defenses respect the Giants’ running game.Protecting Eli Manning and avoiding costly penalties and negative plays.Getting more big plays, specifically involving Beckham, from the passing game,Brett Favre says Eli Manning needs better OL protectionSaquon Barkley wants to get back to “Giants Football” on offenseLet’s talk about Eli Manning, risk management and the Giants’ offenseValentine’s Views: Whoever you blame, Giants’ struggles land at the feet of the offenseDownfield opportunitiesBeckham gave what amounts to a non-answer as to whether or not he thinks there have been chances to get the ball down the field.“They’re there, they’re not there, it’s just a matter of doing it. There’s only so much – they’re there, they’re not there. I don’t know how to answer that. There’s opportunities, there’s not opportunities. It’s just about taking advantage of the opportunities that are there.The word “frustration” keeps being tosses around“Frustration, I don’t know if that’s the right word. It’s just a matter of when it’s going to click. Like I said, we missed the first quarter of the season, we can’t have it back, but there’s still another three quarters. It’s about making the most of those. At any point in time, you could win seven games in a row, then you’re sitting at what? 8-3. I always say this, you could’ve won the first eight and lost the first eight. It’s just about when you catch fire. But there does need to be a sense of urgency to play better, do better, execute, win games, but there’s definitely not a panic in my mind, in my body, soul http://www.authenticsnewyorkgiants.com/cheap-janoris-jenkins-jersey , my heart. I’m not panicking.“I always hear the word frustrated. I’m sorry, it’s funny. Yeah, there is a lot of attention that goes on me, there’s times I’ve been in that red zone and I watch the nickel who’s over me covering me, the linebacker drop out to my side, the safety be over the top. There’s a lot of attention that goes there, so I joked with everybody in here, I was like, you know that I’m coming back off the ankle surgery, I’m thinking maybe I’ll get a chance, you have to prove yourself, and it’s like they just jumped right back into what they were doing last year, doubling up and doing those things. We just have to find ways to get around that.”Eli Manning can handle criticismThe quarterback is under fire as the offense continues to be stuck in neutral, but Beckham isn’t worried about that.“I feel like he’s fully capable of handling whatever comes his way. He’s been doing this for a long time, so I don’t think there’s anything guys could say that is going to bother him.”He’s a Saquon Barkley fanBeckham enjoys what Barkley does so much that he sometimes forgets to do his job while watching the rookie running do Barkley Things with the ball in his hands.“What he can do is unreal. So whenever he gets the ball in his hands, I’m supposed to turn into a blocker but I turn into a spectator. I sit there and I’m watching him because it’s like a mirror image, I’m watching him break tackles and this and that, and I’m like ‘oh I’ve got to pick somebody up on a block.’ We trust fully what he can do and just putting the ball in his hands and letting him make plays. I know it’s early to say it, but in my opinion, he’s going to be one of the best in the league.”