On the Giants’ first drive Sunday, they had a first and goal from the six-yard line that yielded a four-yard Saquon Barkley run…but it was called back by an illegal formation penalty on tight end Lawrence Cager, who was called up from the practice squad for the second game in a row.
“That's just football, and you can’t (get down),” Cager said of the penalty. “The moment you get down on yourself is the moment you're out of the game. It's about consistency and determination. That's really the ultimate thing that happened. I got a great group of guys. This team is a great team. Ultimately we got the W.”
Two plays later, Cager struck again – this time, snagging a nine-yard touchdown pass from Daniel Jones, his first catch as a Giant and his first TD over a handful of career games.
“It was just a boot that we've been practicing all week. We were going fast, caught them on their heels,” Cager said. “The defense was a little tired. I came through on the side and Danny hit me and the rest is history.”
“He did his job. Our job as a coaching staff is to get these players ready, to find guys that are out there – like (general manager) Joe (Schoen) and his staff do – and try to get them in here to see if they can help us,” head coach Brian Daboll added when asked about the “bonus” guys like Cager bring when they contribute. “If they can, great, and if they can't, look for some more guys. But there's certainly a lot of things that everybody, starting with me, can do better.”
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Cager, to his credit, said, “It was my first touchdown, but I really wouldn't care if we didn't win,” showcasing the next man up, team-first mentality the Giants have. Cager was with the Jets earlier this year before being released and catching on with the Giants’ practice squad.
He has been active the last two games after the Giants lost Daniel Bellinger, and already, it seems he’s ahead of schedule for where someone just learning the playbook might be.
“Credit to Coach (Andy) Bischoff. He's a great tight ends coach. I told him I needed extra time to study this playbook and get with him to walk through stuff,” Cager said, “but he's been amazing. He's been getting up with me extra early when he doesn't need to.”
Cager also gave love to Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who spearhead that effort on own to the position coaches.
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“Whenever I have questions or whenever I don't get everything, I’m not getting frustrated; they’re giving me time to understand the playbook,” Cager said. “That bye week was a blessing. I got a whole week to not go anywhere and just study this playbook to get ready for this game.”
The Giants will be without Bellinger for a few more weeks, and clearly, their receiving/tight end options remain thin, but between Cager and wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, who had two second half catches after Kenny Golladay was benched, there seems to be two burgeoning contributors.
“I think it says a lot. I think they've done a great job getting up to speed and understanding what we're doing and trying to do and coming in and making big plays for us,” Jones said of Cager and Hodgins. “Those guys stepped up and played well today.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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