CORE’S OUT
Giant receiver, return specialist tears Achilles and will miss all of 2020 season
Giants receiver and special teams ace Cody Core tore his Achilles’ tendon while running a route late in Tuesday’s practice and was placed on injured reserve Wednesday.
Losing Core, 26, delivers a huge blow to the Giants’ punt coverage unit, where
Core and punter Riley
Dixon had developed a clear connection to help switch field position in 2019.
Core was also pushing for an expanded role on offense entering his second Giants season.
“One of the top special teams players in the league,” Giants head coach Joe Judge called Core, high praise from the longtime New England Patriots special teams coordinator.
Unfortunately, NFL head coaches have feared and expected a fair amount of soft tissue injuries this summer, though, after the COVID-19 pandemic robbed players of their typical spring workout programs with their teams.
Soft tissue injuries happen in football during normal seasons, too, obviously. And Judge said Core did “100%” of what the Giants asked this offseason and “work[ed] his butt off.”
But NFL medical director Dr. Allen Sills admitted on a call Wednesday afternoon that the league and players’ association have been taking preventative measures since the spring to try and head this off — and that they’re continuing to monitor whether there is an increase this year.
“We spend so much time talking about COVID, but we are very much attuned to other injuries that can occur and are working on how we can prevent those, as well,” Sills said.
The NFL players’ union and many coaches, Judge in
cluded, were strongly in favor for a long ramp-up preseason period in large part to make sure guys didn't have to play real football before they were in football shape.
This is also why without preseason games Judge said he is now increasing the intensity of his practices and preparation: because his players' bodies need to be ready for Week 1.
“You hate seeing this happen to any player, and that's why we have to practice the way we practice,” Judge said, “because we have to put guys in positions to play safely and keep them on the field. It's unfortunate the way it happened.”
Core's injury was a noncontact injury while running a route during a sloweddown later portion of Tuesday's practice. He was driven off the field on the cart late during the evening practice with his head hanging low.
“I hate it for him. I hate it for him,” Judge said. “You watch a guy work his butt off, you know what kind of competitor and player he is, how much he's invested in us … Hopefully his injury is something he can come back from full speed. I look forward to seeing this guy in the future. His personality, the way he competes, his physical ability. He's definitely the kind of guy we want to work with.”
Core had re-signed on a two-year, $4 million deal this offseason. He was going to make the 55-man roster, so his injury opens a spot for someone unexpected to step up.
Receivers such as David Sills, Alex Bachman, C.J. Board, Austin Mack, Derrick Dillon, Binjimen Victor and Tony Brown are therefore all competing for spots and playing time.
That's behind the likes of Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate and Darius Slayton, and perhaps also behind Corey Coleman, if the former Browns first-round pick picks up where he left off prior to his 2019 torn ACL. Sills has had an impressive start on offense to camp.
The signing of kicker Graham Gano was made official on Wednesday, meanwhile, after the Giants had practiced without a kicker for two days following the Monday release of Chandler Catanzaro.
Gano, 33, kicked some field goals off to the side and did some jogging on Wednesday while wearing jersey No. 6.
Gano did not kick in 2019 as he recovered from a fractured femur from 2018. Judge, however, sounded excited about bringing on the veteran.
“I think with any specialist — kicker, punter, snapper — you really see their best ball as they get toward their 30s,” Judge said. “They've had their time to really develop, to understand how their body works to structure it for the duration of the season, and they understand situationally how they have to stay fresh and in the moment.”
“So young guys may have a little bit more pop in their legs and raw ability,” he added, “but when it comes to NFL specialists, they really start peaking around those 30 ages right there. And that's why a lot of them have the ability to play into their early 40s.”
Wednesday's early afternoon practice was slowed down to mostly a walk through as Judge gave his players time to recover from the shock of heavy hitting on Tuesday evening.
Corner Corey Ballentine did practice on Wednesday despite Tuesday night's scare during a violent 1-on-1 drill, a drill the Giants' website glorified with barely a mention of Ballentine lying motionless on the grass after colliding with wide receiver Austin Mack — an injury that stopped the drill and brought GM Dave Gettleman out onto the field.
Ballentine had been grabbing his right shoulder after eventually returning to the field.
“They told us he was cleared to practice today and go through all the team drills,” Judge said Wednesday when asked how the trainers had diagnosed Ballentine. “We check with all of our players as far as where they are on a day by day basis. Obviously he finished [Tuesday's] practice, didn't really miss much yesterday, was in full flow with us out there today even though it was a little bit lighter of a practice for all of our players.”
The most interesting part of Wednesday's uneventful practice, meanwhile, came when franchise QB Daniel Jones and center Spencer Pulley were required to run a lap after committing a false start penalty.
This came one day after Judge had reamed out Saquon Barkley, and two days after assistant coaches had run laps with players to reinforce the consequences of making mistakes.
Judge's Thursday morning practice will build the team toward a Friday morning intrasquad scrimmage before the players' lone off day on Saturday.