Rhett Ellison is never going to step into the New York Giants'

lineup at tight end and make people forget Evan Engram.The 29-year-old Ellison is an old-time tight end. He's tough. He's physical. He catches the ball Womens Connor Barwin Jersey , runs hard and blocks as well.Engram is the more modern version of a tight end. The 23-year old can run like a receiver, break a game open with a catch and help out a little with his blocking, which is not his strongest suit.When the Giants (1-2) face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, Ellison is going to step in for Engram, who sprained his knee last weekend against Houston and is going to be sidelined for a couple of weeks."There's stuff that I can't do that Evan does," Ellison said Thursday before the Giants practiced. "For me, it's just trying to execute the plays and find my role in the play that's called, and try to make a play."Ellison had his best game of the season this past weekend, catching three passes for 39 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown, in a 27-22 win over the Texans.Odell Beckham Jr., who leads the Giants with 24 catches for 271 yards, said all the receivers are going to have to step up to replace Engram, who led the Giants in receiving last season."Rhett, we call him Mr. Consistent. I do, at least," Beckham said. "He always seems like he's in the right place at the right time, always making the plays, so everybody's got to step up."Ellison has spent a lot of time this week talking with Engram, who had 10 catches for 104 yards and a TD this season."A lot of people sleep on Rhett," Engram said. "He's definitely a teach-tape in the blocking game. The dude is a really good athlete and makes plays in the pass game too. So, no need to give him any speed. He was moving on some plays on Sunday, and I expect him to have a big game this weekend, and through the pass game. I know he's going to take care of his blocks in the run game."Giants coach Pat Shurmur worked with Ellison when both were with the Vikings."I'm fond of Rhett who he is as a player and as a person," Shurmur said. "He epitomizes a player that you want on your team. He's very good at what he does, he can line up anywhere, he finds a way to make plays. Some guys just have a knack for that. He finds a way to make plays. Very trustworthy and very tough, and he's wired like a football player, and that is what you're looking for."Shurmur even equated Ellison's toughness with that of Mark Bavaro, the outstanding tight end who was a member of the Giants' Super Bowl-winning teams after the 1986 and '90 seasons.The comparison was somewhat funny because Bavaro made a name for himself early in his career carrying a half-dozen San Francisco defenders on a 31-yard pass play in the '86 season."One of which was my dad," Ellison said, whose father Riki was a linebacker who played a decade in the NFL. "So Authentic Ray-Ray Armstrong Jersey , I'm sure my dad is not happy about this comparison."Ellison said he isn't approaching this game any differently than others in his seven-year career. He is spending time with backup tight ends Scott Simonson and rookie Garrett Dickerson to make sure they are up to speed. Engram is working with them, too."He definitely has been picking my brain a lot this year," Engram said of Ellison. "So have I with him in blocking and stuff. I have all the confidence in him. Like I said, I feel like I'm a vet sometimes when that happens. He's like the young kid asking me for help and stuff."NOTES: CB Eli Apple (hamstring) returned to practice on a limited basis. LB Olivier Vernon (ankle) was also limited. DT Damon Harrison (knee), RB Jonathan Stewart (knee) and WR Cody Latimer (knee) missed practice for the second straight day.5 questions that will determine the Giants’ fate in 2018 Just like the New York Giants, we are now in regular-season mode here at Big Blue View. That means there will regularly be a ‘Valentine’s Views’ on Tuesdays. At least when I have things to discuss.Today, let’s look at what I think are the five biggest questions that will determine the success or failure of the Giants in 2018.Were the Giants right about Eli Manning?Everything the Giants have done this offseason — hiring Pat Shurmur, passing on Sam Darnold and drafting Saquon Barkley, revamping the offensive line, cutting Davis Webb — has been about their belief in Manning.The Giants are all-in with the 37-year-old for this year, and probably next. He told me early in the summer that he is “on a mission” to prove the team’s decision-makers right to continue to have faith in him.If the Giants are right about Manning — and I think they are — they have a chance to win and to push those “quarterback of the future” questions to the back burner. If they are wrong? Well, let’s just say that is going to leave them in a bad way. Is the offensive line good enough?For years, then-GM Jerry Reese tried to fix the offensive line. High draft picks on Ereck Flowers, Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg. Big money spent on Geoff Schwartz. Nothing worked. He couldn’t get it right. His last couple of years he just seemed to throw his hands up, say “I quit trying,” and move on collecting play-makers and hoping the Giants could scheme around their porous line play.Only, an immobile quarterback without a credible running game and left only with the option of throwing the ball as quickly as he could to avoid pressure was never going to succeed that way.The hog molly-loving Gettleman walked in the Giants’ door loudly proclaiming that the line had to be fixed. It has four new starters and Flowers playing a new position. There are a couple of new backups. So, it’s vastly different. The question we keep coming back to, though, is will it be better?The preseason results were mixed. There is a lot riding on the ultimate answer to this question. Given a chance to use them, Manning has a tremendous arsenal at his disposal. Shurmur has said the Giants will only go as far as this offensive line will take them. So, how far will that be?Can James Bettcher’s defense get the job done?The Giants made the playoffs in 2016 based almost entirely on the dominance of their defense. In 2017, though, that defense sprung all kinds of leaks. Sometimes, in fact, it appeared to part like the Red Sea.James Bettcher, highly successful as defensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals the last three seasons, was brough in to fix it.Can he?Bettcher brought an aggressive, multiple scheme players love to play in. It mixes fronts, attacks quarterbacks with a variety of blitz packages and generally aims to cause confusion.Question is, though, do the Giants have enough talent? There are justifiable questions about the pass rush www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com , the cornerbacks, the free safety position, whether the linebackers can cover anybody.We’ll find out. It isn’t hard, though, to envision that to win games the Giants might have to regularly score 30 or more points — something they haven’t done since 2015.Is there enough depth on the roster?GM Dave Gettleman and coach Pat Shurmur have given the Giants roster a massive makeover. There are 29 players on the current 53-man roster who were not Giants a season ago. That’s what happens when you go 3-13 and bring in new decision-makers.Thing is, I have said many times that no GM can fix every problem a team has in one offseason. The fact that the Giants made a monumental six waiver claims on Sunday tells you that the roster is still a work in progress, that there is still much work to be done. Remember, the guys claimed on waivers were cut by someone else so they obviously are not perfect players.The Giants are loaded with talent at the skill positions with Odell Beckham Jr., Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard. They have Manning. They have stars like Damon Harrison, Olivier Vernon and Landon Collins on defense.To win, though, you need more than a handful of stars. You need depth. You need everyone on the roster to be able to contribute something, because at some point they will likely all be in a position to try. Do the Giants have enough depth?Good question.Can they overcome a brutal schedule?The Giants have to face the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles twice. They open the season vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were a half away from the Super Bowl last season. They have road games vs. the Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons and Jimmy Garappolo-led San Francisco 49ers. They face the New Orleans Saints, who were a miraculous play away from the NFC Championship Game. They also host Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears, as well as the Tennessee Titans. [Full schedule]Whether you measure by 2017 winning percentage of this year’s opponents or by expected wins in 2018 the schedule is treacherous. Top 10 in difficulty either way. Brutal. The Giants could be a good team, and with this schedule still wind up 6-10.Things I thinkA few other thoughts that are banging around inside my brain today.The fact that as I write this not a single Giant cut over the weekend has been added to a 53-man roster around the league is telling. It tells you the rest of the league doesn’t think much of the players the Giants got rid of. Backup defensive tackle Robert Thomas, the only player signed by anyone so far, had to settle for a practice squad spot with the Buffalo Bills.There is/was a lot of gnashing of teeth about the workout the Giants are holding today. They might sign one or two guys. They might sign no one. This is what teams do every week during the regular season. They will work out available players to see who is in shape, who might fit their system if a need arises, who might be worth stashing on the practice squad (I see you, Quadree Henderson!). The Giants might even swap Matt McGloin for Alex Tanney as a backup quarterback. Who knows? I think we shouldn’t go ballistic, though, every time we hear that the Giants are working out a player whose name we recognize.I think that if Olivier Vernon can’t play Sunday vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, or can’t play like himself, I haven’t got a clue where the Giants’ pass rush is going to come from.Judging from the remarks Shurmur made Monday about Beckham and Barkley being options in the return game, I think you might as well just get some therapy for your Jason Sehorn nightmares and get used to the idea that at some point this season you will see one or both running back kicks.I think I am really looking forward to the Beckham-Jalen Ramsey matchup this Sunday.