the Giants Color Rush Landon Collins Jersey , I’m skeptical because, if that player is any good in terms of skill and/or value, then why is he being sent packing?Offensive lineman Jamon Brown is one of those rare exceptions, though. On the LockedOn Giants podcast, LockedOn Rams host Brad Mader was nice enough to come onto the program to answer some questions I had about Brown and his time with the Rams.One thing Mader told me that had me very encouraged is that Brown is a younger, more athletic version of D.J. Fluker, who as Giants fans might recall, provided a boost to last year’s struggling offensive line.With Fluker, a mauler, in the lineup, the Giants rushing game averaged 110.6 net yards per game; without him just 86.1 yards per game. The Giants apparently are hoping that Brown can help produce similar results for a running game that, even with Saquon Barkley in the lineup, is averaging 77.9 yards per game, 31st in the NFL.Besides generating more production for the running game, if Brown works out for New York, then that’s one less piece of the offensive line Dave Gettleman will have to worry about replacing. A guard tandem of Will Hernandez on the left and Brown on the right would give the Giants something they haven’t really had in years on the offensive line: maulers. And just imagine what the quarterback, be it Eli Manning or a still to be determined new quarterback, might actually be able to do with a mauling offensive line that not only run blocks well, but pass protects. The full podcast is set to drop on Friday, but for those who want to hear what Mader had to say in full on the first segment of the three-segment podcast, this link should get you in.Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY SportsDelay the inevitableGiven how much the Giants offense has failed to score this season, probably the last thing the unit can afford to do is take its sweet time in lining up and getting the ball snapped.Well, such has not been the case, especially in three of the last four seasons (including 2018). According to NFLPenalties.com, the Giants have placed in the top-third of the league in delay-of-game penalties every year in that period except for 2016. In those seasons where they have placed in the top-third of the league, the Giants have averaged 5.33 delay-of-game infractions per season. When the Giants haven’t been drawing a delay-of-game penalty, they’ve frequently run the clock down to the nub, just barely missing out on more yellow flags thrown for delays.The obvious reason behind this is that quarterback Eli Manning Youth Sterling Shepard Jersey , much like his brother before him, tries to ensure that he has the offense in the best possible position to execute the plays. But sometimes he goes a little overboard, tempting the clock. On the road, where the opposing fans make it harder for the visiting offenses to hear, it certainly stands to wonder if this is a reason why there are other penalties that creep up, such as false starts and illegal formations.At some point, you have to snap the ball and trust the other 10 guys to get the job done. Given how good Manning and the offense have looked in the past when in hurry-up mode, it certainly is worth exploring if the otherwise slow and deliberate tempo of this offense is part of the problem.Brad Penner-USA TODAY SportsSomething specialRemember how earlier in the season there always seemed to be an adventure or two on special teams?Whether it was a bad punt, a muffed punt or a poor decision made, the Giants special teams’ first few games of the yearjust left you shaking your head over the Keystone Cop-like antics.But over the last several weeks, the Giants special teams have not only settled down, they’ve become somewhat a strength on this team.Let’s start with kicking. Many Giants fans left youngster Aldrick Rosas for dead after his poor 2017 season.Not the Giants brass, who stuck to their practice of not giving up on talent. This season, Rosas has been nothing sort of Mr. Reliable on a team that, well, it’s a struggle to find guys who are worthy of that title.Rosas has converted on 17 of 18 field goal attempts for a 94 percent conversion percentage (fith in the NFL). He’s also been part of a kickoff coverage team that has allowed opponents an average of 17.9 yards per kickoff return, the third best mark in the NFL. Meanwhile on punts, Riley Dixon, who started out shaky, has settled in. After eight games, his net average (42.0) is the fifth-best in the league and is currently a career best.Of course, the kickers are just a small fraction of the equation. The coverage teams have been improving and the kickoff return game has also made it to the top-10 league wide (23.6 yards per return).The only blemish on this unit is its punt return unit, where they are averaging a league-worst 4.3 yards per return. With the Giants having waived return specialist Quadree Henderson this week to make room for defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh, it’s going to be interesting to see what they do at punt return. Henderson had been averaging a team-best 7.8 yards per punt return, but with him no longer on the roster, the thinking is Jawill Davis, who has yet to gain any yardage on a punt return, is back in the mix for that role.Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesRandom thoughtWhen the Giants cut Davis Webb this summer Alec Ogletree Jersey , many people were shocked over the decision.Webb later landed on the Jets practice squad where he’s been drawing rave reviews from his new teammates about his work ethic and preparation. So now, with the news of starting quarterback Sam Darnold dealing with a sprained foot that could cost him at least this weekend’s game against the Bills, wouldn’t it be something else if Darnold’s injury were to linger and Josh McCown were to yield to Webb at some point down the line?Yes, I’m getting ahead of things here as I don’t know how bad Darnold’s foot is or where Webb is in his development, but you can bet that if that scenario does come to fruition, Giants fans who were stunned and upset by the team’s decision to dump Webb are sure to follow that development with interest. The NL West-leading Colorado Rockies locked up a playoff berth for the second straight season, beating the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Friday night for their eighth win in a row behind a resilient start from Kyle Freeland.David Dahl homered for the fifth consecutive game and Ian Desmond hit a two-run homer against his former team to help Colorado clinch at least a wild card with two games remaining. The Rockies entered the night with a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers as they try to wrap up the franchise's first division crown.Wade Davis struck out Bryce Harper looking to end the game and earn his 43rd save. The sellout crowd at Coors Field roared and fireworks went off.The Rockies are headed to the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time in team history. This is their fifth playoff trip since the franchise began in 1993 — last year, they lost to Arizona in the NL wild-card game.NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge again has baseball's most popular jersey.MLB says the Yankee slugger's No. 99 was the top seller for the second straight season. Judge beat out 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve, who will be trying to repeat as a World Series champion with the Houston Astros next month.Judge and the Yankees will face Oakland in the AL wild-card game Wednesday. Teammate Giancarlo Stanton was ninth in jersey sales in his first season with New York.MVP candidates Javier Baez and Mookie Betts each jumped seven spots into the top five. Baez, an electrifying infielder with the Chicago Cubs, ranked third. Betts, the AL MVP favorite with the Boston Red Sox, was fifth.Clayton Kershaw was fourth on the list in what could be his final season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kershaw can opt out of the final two years of his deal at the end of the season. Bryce Harper ranked 13th in the last season of his contract with the Washington Nationals.Los Angeles Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani ranked eighth.COLLEGE BASKETBALLBATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU basketball player Wayde Sims has died after he was shot during a fight involving several men early Friday near the campus of another university in his hometown of Baton Rouge.Sims, 20, was shot around 12:25 a.m. and died from his wounds at a hospital, Baton Rouge police Sgt. Don Coppola Jr. said.The shooting happened near Southern University's A.W. Mumford Stadium, where homecoming festivities are taking place this weekend.Police have begun circulating a video of a fight among several men in a street which they believe led to the shooting of Sims. Police did not identify Sims in the video, which also shows cars stopping to avoid the melee, but Coppola said police are primarily interested in identifying a man seen wearing red pants with a white stripe.STORRS, Conn. (AP) — The University of Connecticut and former basketball coach Kevin Ollie have been notified by the NCAA of alleged recruiting and other violations during his tenure at the school.The notice of allegations, released Friday night by UConn with the names of recruits redacted, include numerous charges, including unethical conduct by Ollie for allegedly provided false or misleading information about video calls to a recruit from two former UConn stars, Hall of Famer Ray Allen and San Antonio Spurs guard Rudy Gay.Based on the allegations, the NCAA recommends the case be reviewed by a hearing panel of its Committee on Infractions "pursuant to procedures applicable to a severe breach of conduct."Ollie was fired by UConn in March with cause, allowing the school to forgo paying him the $10 million left on his contract. The school later released 1,300 pages documents outlining alleged NCAA violations under Ollie.Ollie is challenging the school's decision to withhold the money and has asserted that any violations were minimal and isolated.LOS ANGELES (AP) — UCLA freshman Shareef O'Neal will sit out the entire upcoming basketball season because of a heart condition that the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal says is "risky."The younger O'Neal didn't specify the condition in a TMZ Sports video 4Dalvin Tomlinson Jersey , saying only that "I know it's something serious and it's risky."O'Neal said he will attend classes and take a medical redshirt. He's expected to be sidelined for three to four months after undergoing surgery.UCLA said in a statement Friday that it will support O'Neal as he gets the issue resolved. The school said only that he was being sidelined for a medical reason and a spokesman declined to provide further details.NFLPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Wes Hopkins, a 10-year safety with the Philadelphia Eagles and 1985 All-Pro, has died. He was 57.The team announced his death Friday. No cause was given.Hopkins spent his entire NFL career in Philadelphia, starting 125 games. Hopkins ranks fifth on the franchise's all-time interceptions list with 30 and is tied for third in games played among defensive backs with 137.A second-round draft pick in 1983, Hopkins was a member of SMU's 2018 Hall of Fame induction class.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants placed Jonathan Stewart, their most experienced running back, on injured reserve Friday.Stewart, who joined the Giants this year after 10 seasons with the Carolina Panthers, has a foot injury. His spot on the roster was taken by Jawill Davis, a wide receiver from Bethune-Cookman. Davis joins tight end Garrett Dickerson as newcomers to the roster. They could make their NFL debuts on Sunday when the Giants host the New Orleans Saints.Stewart played in each of the Giants' first three games, but was third on the depth chart behind Saquon Barkley and Wayne Gallman.AUTO RACINGINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Felix Rosenqvist will move to IndyCar next season as driver for Chip Ganassi Racing alongside five-time champion Scott Dixon.Rosenqvist won two races and three poles in the FIA Formula E series this past season. The Swede finished sixth in the standings.He will replace Ed Jones in the Ganassi lineup that features Dixon, who just wrapped his fifth title. Rosenqvist will be sponsored by NTT Data, which renewed its contract with Ganassi for the No. 10 Honda.GYMNASTICSEAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A retired psychologist has agreed to give up his license after being accused of failing to report assault allegations against Larry Nassar back in 2004.Michigan regulators said Friday that 79-year-old Gary Stollak didn't contest the allegation that he violated state law by failing to report abuse of a minor. Stollak was a psychologist and counselor at Michigan State University.A woman says she was molested by Nassar when she was a girl during family visits to his Lansing-area home. She says she told Stollak about the abuse, but Nassar denied it and no police report was made.BOBSLEDLAKE PLACID, N.Y. (AP) — Sylvia Hoffman took the women's title and Josh Williamson claimed the men's crown Friday at the USA Bobsled National Push Championships.Briauna Jones won the women's driver push event, and Frankie Del Duca won the competition among men's drivers. All four winners became a USA Bobsled national push champion for the first time.Hoffman has never even been in a bobsled. She won the rookie push championship last month, earning her an invite to the national championships — which take place on a track with a wheeled sled. On-ice training starts in October.SAILINGSAN DIEGO (AP) — Former America's Cup holders Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts are set to announce a new sailing league called SailGP that will be contested in an enhanced class of foiling 50-foot catamarans, a person familiar with the situation said Friday.The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details won't be announced until Wednesday night in London.Ellison, the software tycoon who co-founded Oracle Corp., and Coutts, a New Zealander, headed the Oracle Team USA syndicate that won the America's Cup in 2010 and 2013 before losing it to Emirates Team New Zealand in 2017.They have been working for several months on the concept of an annual league that will keep alive their vision of competing in fast, cutting-edge catamarans.Plans call for SailGP to have five regattas in 2019, beginning in mid-February in Sydney, Australia.
