Ronnie Barnes elected to HSS Board of Advisors
Ronnie Barnes has had quite an illustrious career with the New York Giants.
Barnes joined the franchise as an athletic training intern in 1976. Just five years later, he was promoted to the role of Head Athletic Trainer for the Giants.
Over the last 40 years, Barnes has earned numerous awards and accolades for his hard work. He was twice named the National Professional Trainer of the Year (1983 and 1987). His alma matter, East Carolina University, inducted him into their Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990, and nine years later, he was inducted into the National Athletics Trainers Association Hall of Fame.
Two years ago, Barnes added another honor to the list when he was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation's Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr.'s Salute to Excellence Awards during the weekend of Super Bowl LIII.
Of course, Barnes is also a four-time Super Bowl Champion.
This week, the Giants' Senior Vice President of Medical Services was elected to the Hospital for Special Surgery Board of Advisors.
As stated in HSS' announcement, "Ronnie Barnes is the Senior Vice President, Medical Services & Head Athletic Trainer for the New York Giants, an organization he has been a part of since 1976. Mr. Barnes has lectured nationally and internationally on sports medicine, and authored a popular textbook in the sports medical field. He has served on numerous committees, both for the NATA and NFL, and is currently a member of the NFL Head Neck and Spine Committee, NFL Foot and Ankle Committee, and Liaison to the NFL Equipment Managers Meeting."
NFL Network's Cynthia Frelund picks Giants as perfect fit for Jaylen Waddle
The Giants have already provided a boost to their pass-catchers this offseason with the additions of wide receivers Kenny Golladay and John Ross and tight end Kyle Rudolph.
According to NFL Network's Cynthia Frelund, the Giants could look to add another explosive weapon to the offense on draft night.
Frelund used her context-based data models to identify the best fit for each of the top five wide receivers in this year's draft. As she writes in the introduction, "The goal for each pairing: maximizing the draftee's 2021 win share, factoring in what we know about each team's personnel, coaches and strategy right now. And of course, I'm aiming to present realistic matches, ones that could actually come to fruition on draft day."
With all of that said, the analytics expert believes the Giants are the best fit for Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle.
Waddle put together an impressive three-year career with the Crimson Tide. As a freshman in 2018, the 5-foot-10 receiver caught 45 passes for 848 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games while adding 16 punt returns for 233 yards (14.6 avg.) and a touchdown. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year that season.
In his sophomore campaign, Waddle finished the season with 33 receptions for 560 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games while also serving as a dynamic weapon on special teams. He returned 20 punts for 487 yards (24.4 avg.) and one touchdown along with five kickoffs for 175 yards (35.0 avg.) and another touchdown on his way to being named First-Team All-SEC and SEC Special Teams Player of the Year.
A foot injury led to Waddle only playing six games in 2020, but he was still able to catch 28 passes for 591 yards and four touchdowns. He earned Second-Team All-SEC honors.
In terms of his fit with the Giants, Frelund believes Waddle's versatility would be a valuable asset for Big Blue.
"Alignment versatility. That's what makes Waddle so enticing here, even with Kenny Golladay already added via free agency," Frelund writes. "Need him in the slot? Cool. Outside? Also cool. My model says his speed when open (i.e. no defenders are closer than 3 yards) is the fastest among all receivers in this draft class. An ankle injury limited Waddle's field time in 2020, but he was a nightmare to defend when active.
"According to Pro Football Focus, he only dropped one target on 29 catchable passes last season, while averaging 10.1 yards after the catch per reception, third-most in the FBS. This helped drive his 4.4 average when it came to receiving yards per route run (also the third-best FBS mark)."
Photos of 2021 NFL Draft prospect, Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle.
Inside the Film Room: Mike Glennon brings accuracy, strong arm to QB room
Check out the video below to watch Super Bowl champion Shaun O'Hara break down the film of new Giants quarterback Mike Glennon in the latest edition of "Inside the Film Room."