Kevin Gilbride Eloquently Addresses State of the Giants Slot WRs

The Giants have just brought in 13 year veteran Brandon Stokley to be the new slot receiver and basically people are over-reacting about what this means to the young receivers the Giants have been molding.

However, this does not mean the young WRs like Victor Cruz and Jerrell Jernigan are on their way out — it simply means that it’s abundantly clear the Giants need a legitimate, bona fide, experienced, knows-how-to-win slot receiver. Steve Smith is gone, the Giants basically had to force their hand here after Cruz dropped what was probably the easiest ball to catch I can imagine on 3rd and 8. Plan B isn’t looking so good.

So here is what Kevin Gilbride had to say about it. The video is here as well:

"Yes and hopefully we have already done that and communicated that. We think that Victor Cruz and Jernigan have some ability and eventually will be the experienced player that can utilize the physical skills they have and the pass catching skills that they have. We are convinced that they have them but there is so much that goes on at that spot and you have to have a feel for that because intellectually it is very challenging as well as physically. Right now, there is so much happening so fast that they are not playing at the speed and the confidence that they need to have. We feel that they will reach that level."

There you have it. As many people know, it’s about making adjustments on the fly and being on the same page as the QB. It’s about reading defenses and knowing where to go in quick decisions and being in the exact right place at the exact time Eli Manning throws the ball. It’s not just about jumping up to catch a pig skin…. it’s an incredibly physical and mental role that requires consistency at the highest level. Cruz and Jernigan are obviously not there. Hixon for whatever reason is an after thought despite his upside. The Stokley move makes absolute sense.

And to everyone complaining – look yourself in the mirror and admit that if the Giants had not brought in WRs like Housh and Stokley to work out and had they not signed someone, you would have pointed the finger at Reese and Coughlin that they flushed this season down the toilet when they had room to act.

This was the right thing to do at every level, here is your plan C Giants fans…. Get on board.