Anti-social
Pugh punts on distractions
Delete, delete, delete. That’s what Justin Pugh did on his phone, doing away with the apps for Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
“I’m off social media, I don’t listen to anybody,’’ Pugh, the Giants’ starting left guard, told The Post. “Since we started the season, I’m not going to be on it at all.’’
Pugh’s most recent post on Twitter (he has more than 27,000 followers) was Aug. 26. The season was approaching and logging in was becoming a downer.
“I was like you know what, it’s not even worth it because you go on, you read stuff and everyone has their opinions and no one knows what’s going on in here,’’ Pugh said. “That stuff is so negative, we don’t need that energy in this locker room.’’
The streamlined approach should pay dividends. “It gives me more time,’’ said Pugh, entering his third season with the Giants. “Instead of going on Twitter for 10 minutes, I open up my iPad and watch some extra film, so actually it has been better for me. Every time I get the urge to go on it, I go watch
more film or I go over my notes.’’
No one was more excited to hear the Giants signed Craig Dahl than Zak DeOssie, and not only because he and Dahl were roommates as rookies in 2007, or that DeOssie considers Dahl one of his good friends. “No one really cares about the personal protector position,’’ DeOssie said, “but longsnappers do.’’
The earth did not move this week when the Giants signed Dahl, who had been released by the 49ers, and his return — he played one year for the Giants, earning a Super Bowl ring in 2007 — will not change the balance of power as the Giants open up against the Cowboys.
Dahl, 30, may not play much, if at all, at safety but he’ll immediately become a core player on the special teams units. One of his roles will be the protector on punts, calling the signals and serving as the last line of defense for new punter Brad Wing.
“We had a lot of PPs over the years and I don’t mind having rookies in there,” DeOssie said. “Nat Berhe did a great job towards the end of the year last year, but it’s nice to have [Dahl] there from a professional standpoint because he knows exactly what he’s doing, his dictation is perfect and I feel so much better having him back there.’’
The last time the Giants played the Cowboys, Odell Beckham Jr. unveiled his onehanded, 43yard touchdown catch, a play that turned him into a star. If he had a dollar for every time he has been asked about the catch? “I’d be rich, I’d be rich, I’d be rich,’’ he said. Beckham had 91 receptions for 1,305 yards and 12 TDs in just 12 games as a rookie.
The Giants are 07 against the Cowboys in seasonopeners. … The Cowboys own a fourgame winning streak against the Giants.