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Eisen's Mailbag

." Every few days, Giants.com's exclusive Writer/Editor Michael Eisen will pick some of the best questions and comments we receive via email* and answer them right here! If you'd like to submit a question or comment to Michael, click here.

Michael:

I was a little upset with a couple of the players the Giants cut – Jay Alford and Andre Brown. We keep talking about depth on the defensive line, then we let go a guy who helped win the Super Bowl. And it seems to me Brown never got a chance to show what he can do and we're not exactly deep at running back.

Thanks,

Stan

Dear Stan:

You're not the only fan who would have preferred Alford and Brown stayed with the Giants. If you assume that second-round draft choice Linval Joseph wasn't going anywhere – and he wasn't, because he's going to be a very good player – then Alford was battling Rocky Bernard for a roster spot. Coaches like to say they go by what they see. Tom Coughlin and his defensive staff saw Bernard get two sacks in Baltimore and finish the preseason with 11 tackles, including those sacks and two other stops for losses. Alford had one tackle, period. It seems clear Bernard won the head-to-head duel. You might say preseason games mean little, but they are vital to individuals fighting for jobs.

  • Regarding Brown, he missed all season after undergoing Achilles surgery. He showed flashes in training camp, but still had a way to go. When the Giants waived him, Brown had a turf toe that was expected to sideline him for two or three weeks. Frankly, I think they took a calculated that no one would claim a running back that recently had Achilles surgery and was idled by turf toe. They likely would have signed him to the practice squad. Denver is apparently pretty desperate for a back, so they claimed him. It happens, it's the NFL. We still have Jacobs, Bradshaw, Ware and Darius Reynaud.*
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