Gates learning on fly in fight to land center job
My fault.
No, my fault.
This is the dynamic playing out this summer as the Giants break in a new center, Nick Gates. This is a position change for Gates, 24, who was mostly a left tackle at Nebraska and played tackle and guard a bit last season for the Giants.
Center? That’s brand new for Gates and he has a real shot at winning the starting job. Head coach Joe Judge said the competition between Gates and veteran Spencer Pulley is “scratch even.’’
Gates has mostly done a solid job snapping to Daniel Jones, but every so often the ball hits the ground.
“A lot of times we both just try to take the blame on it,’’ Gates said. “We both don’t want to throw each other under the bus. We kind of say, ‘Oh, that was me’, ‘That was me.’ ’’
However gallant this is, it does not much matter when it comes to who Judge chooses to blame. Both players are sent off on a lap around the field whenever there is a botched exchange.
➤ A fight nearly broke out after LB Devante Downs slammed RB Sandro Platzgummer
to the ground too roughly for the liking of the offensive players. Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard and Gates confronted Downs before cooler heads prevailed. Downs has a real shot to be a starter alongside Blake Martinez . … A hit by DT Leonard Williams knocked Barkley to the grass and got Williams sent off for a play.
➤ The arraignment for CB DeAndre Baker in Broward
County, Fla., scheduled for Sept. 15, has been pushed back to Jan. 20, 2021. That should be seen as a setback for Baker, who is on the exempt list and thus, unless there is a dismissal, will have to miss the entire 2020 season while awaiting trial for the May 13 incident that brought four armed robbery charges. Three of the alleged victims are pursuing a civil suit against Baker for $100,000.