Giants great Jessie Armstead inducted into Dallas ISD Athletic Hall of Fame
Jessie Armstead had a prolific career with the New York Giants.
An eighth-round pick (207th overall) in the 1993 NFL Draft, Armstead contributed to Big Blue's defense almost immediately. The linebacker spent nine seasons with the Giants, totaling 30.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, 12 interceptions, 45 tackles for loss and 13 passes defensed in 144 games. His 596 solo tackles ranks fourth in franchise history.
During his tenure with the Giants, Armstead was named an All-Pro four times while making five trips to the Pro Bowl. He was hired by the franchise to work in the front office back in 2008, and still serves in the role of Special Assistant to the General Manager to this day.
Armstead was inducted into the Giants Ring of Honor in 2010, and now 10 years later, the all-time Giants great has another honor to add to his list.
The former linebacker was recently inducted into the Dallas Independent School District Athletic Hall of Fame as part of its 2020 class. The ceremony was done virtually.
Armstead grew up in Dallas and was a 1989 graduate of Carter High School. He was a member of the school's 1988 state championship football team, and is considered to be "one of the best linebackers in Texas high school football history," according to Chris Arnold, the host of the induction ceremony.
As it states on the Dallas ISD website, "The Dallas ISD Athletic Hall of Fame acknowledges those who have raised the level of public awareness and appreciation (support) for high school athletics through their distinguished achievement and excellence, both on and off the field of competition. These individuals may include former student-athletes, coaches, administrators, contest officials, media personnel, sports medicine personnel, athletic trainers, or distinguished volunteers. Nominees may be active or retired from their fields and must exemplify the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct and moral character."
The 2020 Dallas ISD Athletic Hall of Fame virtual ceremony can be found here.
Andrew Thomas named to PFF team of the Week
It's been an up and down season for No. 4 overall pick Andrew Thomas. But after some early-season struggles, things have seemingly begun to click for the rookie left tackle.
Thomas had an elite performance against the Seahawks this past Sunday. The 21-year-old tackle did not allow a single pressure on 26 pass blocking snaps, helping him earn an overall grade of 87.1 from Pro Football Focus, easily the highest grade of his rookie campaign.
In fact, Thomas' Week 13 grade is the highest single-game grade of the season among the offensive tackles selected in the first round of the 2020 draft. That group includes Thomas, Cleveland's Jedrick Wills, the Jets' Mekhi Becton, Tampa Bay's Tristan Wirfs, Miami's Austin Jackson and Tennessee's Isaiah Wilson.
Thomas' performance earned him some praise from the analytics site, as he was named to Pro Football Focus' team of the week for Week 13. In addition, PFF's Mike Renner named Thomas his top rookie of the week.
Over the last two games, Thomas has not surrendered a single pressure while receiving a pass blocking grade of 76.0 (22nd among all offensive tackles).
Optimism for Daniel Jones; Colt McCoy stays ready
Joe Judge said today he was "optimistic" when asked for an update on Daniel Jones, but it will be at least another two days before he knows if his quarterback will play Sunday at home against the Arizona Cardinals.
Jones missed the Giants' 17-12 victory in Seattle three days ago because of a hamstring injury he suffered the previous week in Cincinnati.
"We're going to give him an opportunity today to move around the field," Judge said. "We're still in that point of the week where I haven't seen him do anything physical yet this week since the last week really. We'll see him move around today. We're optimistic. I know he's going to tell us everything we want to hear. We've got to again use our eyes instead of our ears with Daniel, so we're going to put him out there today and make sure we give him a chance to progress. Today's a walkthrough, tomorrow we'll be on the field moving around and then Friday will be a big day for us to kind of make a final decision hopefully going into the weekend."
In Jones' absence, the Giants relied on their ground game to move the ball. They ran for a season-high 190 yards on 31 carries. Colt McCoy stepped in for Jones and managed the game well. He overcame an early interception to complete 13 of 22 passes for 105 yards, including a six-yard touchdown to running back Alfred Morris.
Most importantly, the Giants won a game that kept them in first place with four games remaining. But in the 11th season of a career spent primarily as a backup, McCoy knows he'll return to the sideline as soon as Jones is able to play.
"I think if he feels like he can go, he'll go," McCoy said. "He's a competitor, he's a captain. He wants to be out there so bad. This is killing him. I think he'll just see how he feels."
And how does Jones feel?
"I'm feeling good. I'm feeling better," said Jones, who was officially limited in practice today. "Just trying to get this thing healed up and hopefully back out there. … I think it's a daily process. I'm working every day to get better and to heal it up so I can get back out there. I'm not sure a percentage. Just working every day to improve."
Jones was circumspect as always when asked his expectations for Sunday.
"We have a little bit of time here at the end of the week," Jones said. "My job is to do everything I can to get it ready to play. Listen to what the trainers are telling me. Follow the program that's been laid out. Just try to take every day and work to get it better and see where we are."
View rare photos from the all-time series between the Giants and Cardinals.
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