Former New York Giants safety Antrel Rolle still keeps tabs on his old team. Rolle spoke to Gambling Industry News recently about Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr., Jason Perre-Paul and more Giants topics.
On Manning’s Hall of Fame worthiness …
“Do I think he will get in? Yes, I do. And I think he deserves to get in. And it’s not just because of the name, or because he played in New York. You’re talking about someone who had a very good NFL career, postseason we know what he did. Two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback, and the guy (Tom Brady) who he beat in both Super Bowls. That stuff speaks for itself, and it doesn’t happen by accident. Eli, to me, is clutch. He gets my vote 200% of the time. And this is not me being biased. He is the real deal at quarterback, and I’m hoping he gets his flowers. I know he will. He deserves it.”
On why the Giants have struggled in recent years …
“Listen, I love my Giants. I just felt like there were some bad moves along the way, man. GM moves. They got rid of some guys and paid some guys where it didn’t make sense to me. The film doesn’t lie. I understood Saquon had injuries, but if you had gotten Saquon more help, he would have been who Philly experienced this year. Maybe not to that extent because we know how dominant the offensive line is there, but I just felt like there were a lot of bad moves made that really didn’t make any sense.
“With that being said, they are trying to get back into the right direction. They drafted the stud they drafted this year (Jaxson Dart). He’s going to be a helluva player. That goes without saying. You have Nabers, who’s been playing out of his mind. Russell Wilson can distribute the ball. How good will Russ be? That’s to be determined. But we haven’t seen a huge decline in Russell Wilson.
“But I feel like Nabers needs more help, and you can use more help in the backfield. Those will be the key focal points to turn the organization back around.”
[EDITOR’S NOTE: I believe Rolle was talking about No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter rather than Jaxson Dart.]
On Beckham or JPP returning to the Giants …
“I’d love to see it, but that’s me being biased because those are my boys. I’d love to see them go out on their own terms at MetLife Stadium. Obviously we know Odell’s had a lot of injuries, but I still think Odell has a lot left in the tank. I just don’t feel like he’s been used properly. The last time we saw that was when he was with L.A.
“We have yet to see him used like that since then. If he’s healthy, I’d still say OBJ, with his route-running and the way he can separate in and out of breaks, he can be a top-15 receiver in the game today. If he’s targeted correctly.
“And JPP is just an absolute freak. I would love to see both my guys go out on their own terms in MetLife Stadium. That would be dope.”
On Beckham as a mentor for Malik Nabers …
“Oh, absolutely it would be helpful. One of my mentors, Deon Grant, taught me so much on and off the field. You can’t put a price on those things. He was such a pivotal part for us in that (2012) Super Bowl run, and a lot of times it was behind closed doors. The only people that knew were the players. No coaches, no media, none of that. Those things are such hidden gifts.”