Big Blue View mailbag: Roster help, Tae Banks, J.J. McCarthy, Bryan Hudson, more

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Big Blue View mailbag: Roster help, Tae Banks, J.J. McCarthy, Bryan Hudson, more

Ed Valentine · SB Nation

Sat, Oct 10, 2026 ·

14 min read

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Wayne Wright asks: Any idea why there was no extra point try after the Banks touchdown at the end of the Cardinals game? Obviously the point wasn't needed, but it seems to me that we always see extra point attempts in similar situations in other games. Although it's not likely to matter, I do know that points scored is one of the tie-breakers for who gets a playoff spot at the end of the season. Do you have any info on this?

Ed says:Wayne, the league changed the rule in 2018. An extra point at the end of a game that does not impact the outcome is no longer required. If you look at the tiebreakers , the point total is so far down the list that it is really deemed inconsequential.

Dumpster Dan asks: I know that the Giants always look to see if they can improve the roster and it was generally thought that they were looking for DL and CB help. Do you think the 3-1 start has changed anything? Does the loss of Burns increase their looking for DL help?

Ed says:Dan, I really don't believe it changes much. They will try to help the roster if they can, but they have to keep in mind that they can't give away a lot of resources for short-term fixes. If you can get young players you think are difference-makers you have a chance to keep for a few years, that's different.

I do think the wide-open nature of the NFC East increases the temptation to make a move or two to improve the team's opportunity this season.

Martin Hand asks: Ed, since Banks has been playing so well, what is your prediction on his contract status?

Ed says:Martin, that's an interesting one. Before the season, I would have said the idea of an extension for Banks would have been laughable. Now? If he continues to play well, and continues to show an improved attitude, I could see an extension of a couple of years being where things land.

The projected franchise tag, per Over The Cap, is $23.119 million for cornerbacks. I can't see that, but I can certainly see an extension. There are 13 games to go, though, so we will see where it lands.

DWopper2 asks: All during camp there was so much talk about Patrick Ricard blasting open holes for the running backs. In the Dallas game that worked very well, and he seemed to be a real weapon for the offense. Where has he been since? Against the Cardinals, there were plays where he went into the line on the other side of center from where the running backs went. How does that help? I did not go back to watch the game again, but wondering if he had any impact on the game whatsoever. If he is not a blocking machine, would it be better to have both Skat and Tracy (or Harris) in the backfield so the defense does not know who might get the ball and what direction they will go?

Ed says:Wopper, the days of two running backs in a T formation where you weren't always sure which one was getting the ball are long gone. Teams play with a runner and a lead blocker. Only on rare occasions does any team use a two-back set with two true running backs.

As for your Patrick Ricard question, I think the struggles with the running game are not Ricard-related. They are more about the absence of Jaxson Dart.

Dart ran 11 times for 54 yards (4.9 yards per carry) in the season opener. His 22-yard run in that game is the longest the Giants have this season. No running back has a carry of longer than 13 yards.

The Giants' offense was built with Dart's ability to run being a major part of the playbook, and a major way they would try to create explosive plays. Cam Skattebo and Najee Harris are power runners who are rarely going to make guys miss at the second level and have those long runs.

Tyrone Tracy is the closest thing they have to a big-play back. They might have to give him more opportunities. More options and efficiency in the run game is also part of why we are probably going to see some of J.J. McCarthy at times. He is not the dangerous runner that Dart is, but he does give the Giants the opportunity to use pieces of the playbook that Jameis Winston does not.

Norm Weiss asks: Ed, I read Nick Falato's article about whether Bryan Hudson or John Michael Schmitz should start, after which the fan survey had 71% in favor of Hudson. Although Schmitz has not lived up to expectations, he has been an average solid center. I can't help but feel that if Schmitz was the UFA & Hudson was the 2 nd round pick that survey results would look quite different. Also, as Nick pointed out the interior defensive line of the Cardinals isn't anywhere near as good as the defensive tackles on Dallas, LA or Tennessee. We still didn't get much of a push from our interior offensive line or open up many holes in the run game against Arizona. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Hudson vs. Schmitz and why we haven't generated much push from our interior offensive line since the Cowboy game.

Ed says:Norm, I explained why I think Hudson should be the starter here . In short, it comes down to this. I think the Giants will move on from Schmitz after this season. Hudson looks as though he might be capable. I feel like the Giants should give him enough run to find out one way or the other.

Taj Siddiqi asks: With Jameis Winston at QB we are winning dangerously. He is not the future even with his current contract. What is the harm in inserting JJ McCarthy as our starting quarterback in next couple of weeks just to find out if he could be our number one or at least a competent number two.

Ed says:Taj, everyone understands Jaxson Dart is the future at quarterback. There will be week-to-week conjecture in the media and fan base about when, or if, McCarthy should replace Winston.

First, let me ask a question. McCarthy has played 10 games. A team without good quarterback, and with a head coach considered to be a great quarterbacks coach, had him as third-string behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz. They couldn't wait to get rid of him, dumping him before the season was even one-fourth over. Why are so many people convinced that McCarthy will be better than Winston, and that playing him is a good idea? Maybe it will work, but it did not in Minnesota. Playing him in New York could easily be a disaster.

Another factor is that you can't start McCarthy until he knows enough of the offense, and has worked enough with new teammates, to be comfortable. Can you send him out there and expect him to play winning football if he knows maybe 30% of the playbook and hasn't really had an opportunity to practice with Malik Nabers, Isaiah Likely, and Darnell Mooney?

Finally, there is this. Jameis Winston is a highly-respected player in the Giants' locker room. He is a team captain and part of the team's player Leadership Council. Those things are rarely bestowed upon a guy who starts the season as the backup quarterbacker. Winston has a lot of support on that team. The Giants need to be very careful about not creating a situation that splits the locker room. If the Giants turn to McCarthy, you can guarantee there will be players wondering what the kid did to deserve taking Winston's spot. Quarterback controversies oftenend up doing that, and it will be interesting to see how John Harbaugh navigates trying to avoid that.

Joel Friedberg asks: Since one of (Jaxson) Dart's main strengths was running with the football and since it is also a strength of McCarthy what do you think of the idea of putting in a short yardage zone read package for McCarthy where he could hand off or run a nd even pull it once in a while and pass. Maybe 1 or 2 plays that he could run and get good at?

Ed says:Joel, the Giants did have a McCarthy package ready against the Arizona Cardinals. They will have one against the Washington Commanders, as well. It makes sense because McCarthy is younger and more mobile than Jameis Winston. The difficulty with that is not becoming predictable when and if you put McCarthy on the field.

Michael Spina asks: As I understand, there is no cap relief when a player is lost for the season. It seems to me (and please correct me if I'm wrong) that severe and season-ending injuries are more prevalent in the modern game. Do you know if the NFL is considering or has ever considered a form of cap relief when a player is lost to injury?

Ed says:Michael, the NFL has a hard cap. Players assume the risk of getting hurt by playing the sport. Teams assume the risk with every player they sign. This is why teams always talk about leaving themselves room under the cap for the inevitable injuries that will cause them to add players.

Do you really want to "reward" a team that loses a star player by giving them cap relief that lets them go out and acquire another star player?

Here is a look at how the Giants fared last season in relation to the rest of the league in cap money lost to players on injured reserve .

John Foti asks: Defenses have become very adept at causing fumbles by punching the ball out of the ball carriers' grasp. Sometimes it's just a great play by the defender. The ball carrier has the ball tightly tucked away and somehow it gets punched out. Other times though, especially when we see gang tackling, a defender stands up the ball carrier or holds the ball carriers' free arm as other defenders try to pull the ball out. I have never felt that was fair and feel that it should not be legal. What's your thought on that?

Ed says:John, I don't like it. I think referees are sometimes way too slow to blow a play dead when it turns into a scrum. The "peanut punch", though, is a real thing. Jevon Holland happens to be good at it.

Matt Totaro asks: Hey Ed, with all the season ending injuries this year for the Giants, looking back at past seasons ruined by injuries, who's your ultimate what if? Outside of the self inflicted gunshot one.

Ed says:Matt, when it comes to injury-related "what-if's" I really don't have one. I will give you and our readers a couple to chew on, though:

What if the Giants had moved on from GM Jerry Reese and quarterback Eli Manning in 2015 when they let Tom Coughlin go? That is what I have always said I thought they should have done. Start fresh.
What if Justin Herbert had declared for the 2019 NFL Draft? I think Dave Gettleman would have moved heaven and earth to make sure the Giants were able to select him.

Francis Castros asks: What do you know about JDart's current status? Is he rehabbing daily at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center? Is he in communication with J.J. McCarthy? Will he be attending games?

Ed says:Francis, we don't see Jaxson Dart or get to talk to him. We probably won't officially talk to him until the end of the season. I have to believe he will attend meetings, be around, and rehab at the facility as much as he can. As for attending games, that becomes a matter of whether he is physically able and whether it is safe for him to do so.

I wasn't there on Friday, but there was word that Dart was seen around the facility by media for the first time since his surgery.

Michael Spezio asks: Ed, what are you and the BBV staff hearing about J.J. McCarthy now that he's had a couple of weeks in the building? Beyond the public praise, how far along is he in Matt Nagy's offense, and is he getting any first-team reps yet, or still mostly scout team?

If he's called on, do you think he can show the same quick uptake Dart did, or that Jalon Daniels just did in Tampa? Or is that "quick success" thinner than it looks? Dart's 2026 is basically one game, Daniels has two starts, and both of their good games came against a Dallas defense that keeps giving up points.

Ed says:Michael, what we have been told — and the tiny bit I have seen at practice — is what we know. You have to realize that McCarthy has been a Giant for just a little more than a week. The Giants have been practicing since April. There is no way he knows the full playbook yet, or close to it.

Jaxson Dart took every first-team rep from April until he got injured. As for first-team reps now, those are going to Jameis Winston. He needs them to be as ready to play as he can be — he didn't get them in the spring and summer.

As for Jalon Daniels, again, you have to understand he has been with the Bucs since April. He played surprisingly well Thursday night, but that amount of time is a huge help.

I don't understand this rush the fan base seems to be in to get McCarthy into the lineup. I know Jameis Winston is an adventure, and him being the starter isn't ideal. What evidence, though, is there that McCarthy can be a good quarterback? The Vikings drafted him 10th overall, and the last thing they wanted to do is actually play him. He was No. 3 behind Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz, neither of whom is really all that good. The Vikings couldn't wait to get rid of him.

You might see McCarthy starting at some point. I just don't get why everyone is in such a hurry.

Doug Mollin asks: In your "5 questions" piece, the Commanders writer recommended:

"To attack the offense, I would use a QB spy to limit Jayden's rushing and only rush four, dropping the rest back in coverage. Jayden has been very good at reading the blitz and throwing quickly or using his legs to avoid it, so dropping more back in coverage and shifting coverages has generally been more effective at preventing him from making a play."

I get the logic of that statement, but boy was it fun watching our defense play the last 3 quarters against Arizona.

How much does a DC/HC tailor the defensive game plan to that opponent versus forcing their will on the opponent?

Do you think we'll run that Arizona style defense out there again? Or game plan this to contain Jayden?

Ed says:Doug, every team has a base package or a basic style of defense (or offense) that it wants to play. But, within that there are a lot of options and variables.

You can't run the same defense against a team led by Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin that you ran against a team led by Jacoby Brissett and Jeremiyah Love. Brissett is a stationary quarterback, and blitzing him heavily made sense. Blitz Daniels, play man coverage behind it, and he will run for a zillion yards if you don't sack him every time.

You have to be able to show quarterbacks different looks. You have to be able to use players in a variety of ways. Every opponent is different, and you have to do the best you can within your style to match their strengths.

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