Mike Glennon's job on Saturday: Help make other Giants look good
Giants quarterback Mike Glennon throws a pass during training camp at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Thursday. Credit: Brad Penner
Mike Glennon has two jobs on Saturday against the Jets: Play well and get others to play well.
As the backup quarterback for the Giants and the starter in this preseason opener – Daniel Jones will not play, Joe Judge said this week – it will fall on Glennon to help the rest of the offensive players put their best selves forward while competing for roster spots.
"We want to keep ourselves out of a position where we can’t evaluate a player properly on the field," Judge said. "The ultimate goal is to evaluate our players."
That means the contenders for the spots on the team at wide receiver, running back, tight end, and even offensive line, will be relying on Glennon to make them look good.
Glennon is at a disadvantage. The veteran backup is the newest of the Giants’ quarterbacks when it comes to the team’s offensive playbook. So Saturday also will be beneficial to him and his expected role in the regular season should he have to spell Jones when the games actually count.
"Obviously, he’s had a short-term window [with the offense] being here in the spring and being in training camp for three weeks now," Judge said. "So, the more experience we can get together on the field, the better."
As for helping others shine, Judge said that does not apply only to Glennon or Clayton Thorson, the only other quarterback on the roster.
"We look at it from a standpoint of trying to evaluate everybody, let everyone be out there and function," Judge said. "So if you’re trying to evaluate a receiver, the offensive line blocking for the quarterback will get evaluated. Trying to evaluate running backs? That’s be the receivers getting in blocks on the safeties then cutting off the corners. Everyone has to function as a team."
And when it comes to functioning on offense, the quarterback is the most critical position.
Notes & quotes: Judge did not declare many players as out for Saturday’s game – Jones, Saquon Barkley and Lorenzo Carter were the only ones he specifically named – but it’s very unlikely Giants fans will get a chance to see free-agent splash Kenny Golladay in person for the first time. Golladay injured his hamstring last week and while he has been doing some running on the side, he still is not ready to play . . . The Giants added much-needed depth to the interior of their offensive line by signing 10-year veteran G Ted Larsen on Friday. Larsen was originally drafted by the Patriots in 2010 and has played for them, the Cardinals, Dolphins, and two stints with the Bears and Bucs. He was most recently with Tampa Bay for their Super Bowl run. To make room on the roster the Giants waived RB Mike Weber and DB Jordyn Peters.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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