Will Geno Smith or Josh Johnson be Giants’ No. 2 QB? Ben McAdoo hoping for answer Thursday
Giants QB Eli Manning, center, sits with backups Geno Smith, left, and Josh Johnson during preseason NFL game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at MetLife Stadium on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Giants will go into their final preseason game trying to figure out who will win the backup quarterback job.
“We’re still not in a position to say who the number two is,” Ben McAdoo said of the competition between Geno Smith and Josh Johnson. “Thursday night, we’re hoping it cleans itself up.”
Neither has been good enough to establish himself as the favorite through the first three games. Smith has completed 26 of 43 passes for 244 yards and two interceptions. Johnson is 11-for-20 for 144 yards with no interceptions. Neither has thrown a touchdown pass.
McAdoo suggested that Eli Manning will not play on Thursday against the Patriots. He also did not rule out rookie Davis Webb in the competition for the backup job, but he most likely will be the No. 3 quarterback when the roster is trimmed this weekend.
The Giants also will spend this week figuring out who will kick for them. Mike Nugent and Aldrick Rosas have been perfect in the preseason, with Nugent making kicks from 50 and 52 yards against the Jets on Saturday.
“We’ve got one heck of a competition at the kicker’s spot,” McAdoo said. “We have a short week here to get ready to go, and we’ll just keep on competing.”
Blunder irks McAdoo
McAdoo called it “inexcusable” that rookie defensive end Evan Schwan suffered a fractured foot Saturday night on a play that didn’t even count — and never should have been run because of a blunder in officiating protocol.
On the play in which Schwan was hurt, the Giants appeared to sack Christian Hackenberg and force a fumble, but after that play, the officials went back and reviewed the play before it.
“[NFL headquarters] decided to stop the play, felt there was enough time to get the play stopped,” McAdoo said. “The communication didn’t happen fast enough from [NFL headquarters] to the playing field and they let the play go on.”
The reviewed play in question was confirmed, the play on which Schwan was injured essentially was erased, and the Jets were given a new first-and-10.
This year challenges inside the final two minutes will come from league headquarters in Manhattan rather than in the stadium.
Said McAdoo, “We ended up having a player getting carted off the field on it, which is inexcusable to have on a play that doesn’t count, or never existed.”
Giant steps
The Giants claimed cornerback Tay Glover-Wright off waivers from the Eagles to bolster a secondary that is without starter Eli Apple (ankles) and backup Michael Hunter Jr. (concussion). Schwan was waived/injured to make room . . . Mc Adoo would not say if receivers Odell Beckham Jr. (ankle) or Brandon Marshall (shoulder) will practice this week. “We’ll get up in the morning and see how they respond to what’s going on medically, the treatment that they’re getting, and if they’re able to go, we’ll practice them,” McAdoo said . . . McAdoo said the Giants will “continue to evaluate” potential changes on the offensive line after rotating Brett Jones and D.J. Fluker in at right guard with the starters behind John Jerry.
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.
