PITTSBURGH – The key for players who may be on the roster bubble is to make it difficult to send them packing. There are plenty of safeties vying for spots on the Giants and the situation might be tough for Tyler Sash, but he certainly helped himself in last night’s 18-13 preseason victory over the Steelers.
Sash, entering his third year with the Giants, was all over the field in a performance that greatly helped his cause. He broke up a pass to tight David Paulson in the second quarter and made two huge plays in the third quarter. He stormed in on rookie quarterback Landry Jones for a sack in the end zone, giving the Giants a safety and a 15-6 lead. Not long after that play, Sash recovered a muffed punt by David Gilreath, who dropped the ball as long-snapper Zack DeOssie barreled into him.
What figures to also help Sash stick on the roster is that another safety, Will Hill, will be suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s drug policy.
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The Giants were hit with injuries to two players who were long-shots to make the final roster. WR Kris Adams suffered a fractured lower left leg on the second play of the third quarter and G Chris DeGeare was forced out with a right knee injury that Tom Coughlin said is an MCL sprain. … Coughlin was able to get all four quarterbacks in the game in this order: Eli Manning, David Carr, Curtis Painter and rookie Ryan Nassib. It was an exceedingly rough debut for Nassib. His first series went like this: False start, sack, delay of game, bad snap for Steelers touchdown. His only completion was a 29-yard pass to Julian Talley that helped set up Josh Brown’s 47-yard field goal. “He was chased all over the place,’’ Coughlin said of Nassib. … DE Adewale Ojomo had 1.5 sacks in the fourth quarter.
Interesting development: TE Larry Donnell worked as a fullback with the second offense. That’s 6-foot-6 and 269 pounds of fullback. … DT Cullen Jenkins had a nine-yard sack of Roethlisberger. … David Carr led a fairly successful two-minute drill to end the first half, hitting Jerrel Jernigan for 15 yards and Louis Murphy for 12. He was also aided by two personal foul penalties on Steelers LB Jason Worilds on a 10-play, 69-yard drive that ended with a Josh Brown 30-yard field goal. …
DE Justin Tuck (back) did not play. … WR Hakeem Nicks, slowed throughout camp with a strained groin, also will did not play. Also out: CB Terrell Thomas (knee), OL Justin Pugh (concussion), OL James Brewer (concussion), WR Brandon Collins (hamstring), RG Chris Snee (hip), S Cooper Taylor (hamstring) and RB Ryan Torain (concussion). In addition, also not active are the three players still on PUP: DE Jason Pierre-Paul (back), FB Henry Hynoski (knee) and DR Markus Kuhn (knee).