*Five takeaways from Wednesday's team practice and media hour: *
1. DRC SUSPENDED
As the Giants prepare for their Sunday night game in Denver, cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was not on the field for Wednesday's practice at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Afterwards, coach Ben McAdoo explained why in his usual post-practice press conference.
"DRC came in yesterday," McAdoo said. "We had a conversation that was personal upstairs and he came in today. Decided to leave. We will suspend him."
Asked further about the reason or length, McAdoo said, "That's all I have for you right now."
2. INJURY REPORT
Did not practice: LB Jonathan Casillas (neck), S Landon Collins (ankle), RB Paul Perkins (ribs), C Weston Richburg (concussion), WR Sterling Shepard (ankle), DE Olivier Vernon (ankle)
View the best images from Wednesday's practice
3. BRONCOS SCOUTING REPORT
McAdoo opens every Wednesday press conference with a scouting report of the upcoming opponent. The following is what he said about the 3-1 Broncos, who are coming off their bye week.
Offense: "They're physical with the run game. They do a good job with their play-action passes – getting it to [wide receivers Demaryius] Thomas and [Emmanuel] Sanders. Very explosive offensively. They do a good job on third down. They're ranked high there."
Defense: "They're tough, they're physical, and they're fast on all three levels. They're No. 1 versus the rush. They're good situationally and they've won 31 in a row when winning the turnover battle, so we have to take care of The Duke."
Special teams: "They're creative with their special teams. They're aggressive with the fakes. [Punter Riley] Dixon was a high school quarterback and he can throw it on a rope. [Kicker Brandon] McManus, as we know, has a strong leg. Tremendous challenge for us on Sunday night and we're looking forward to it."
4. BACKUP RECEIVERS NEED TO STEP UP
Playing without Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall, Dwayne Harris and possibly Sterling Shepard, the Giants turn to Roger Lewis, Tavarres King, Travis Rudolph, and Ed Eagan this week and the near future.
While Lewis is the only receiver who has played in a regular-season game for the Giants this year, the other three have been around the team, including King, whose biggest play was a 44-yard reception that led to a Giants victory last year in Week 17 against the Redskins. He went on to lead the Giants with 73 yards and a touchdown on three catches in the Wild Card game at Lambeau Field.
"Just give us the best version of yourself," McAdoo said of his message to the newcomers to the active roster. "They've gone out, they know what they're doing on offense and on special teams. They have a great opportunity to go out and prove what they can do and that they belong in this league and they can play in this league. We have a lot of confidence in them. They just need to stay within themselves, trust the system and be the best version of themselves."
5. PUGH: NFL 'HUMBLES YOU REAL QUICK'
For offensive lineman Justin Pugh and other players who have been around long enough, they unfortunately have experience with prolonged starts without a win. In 2013, Pugh's rookie year as a first-round draft choice, the Giants began 0-6 before winning seven of their final 10 games.
"I just know how hard it is to win in the NFL," Pugh said. "A lot of guys probably will come in as a young guy -- just I thought we would win. We were the New York Giants. They won a Super Bowl two years previously. I thought we were just going to go out there and that was just going to happen and you realize how quickly – we're having a lot of the same games we had last year. It's just we're not pulling them out in the fourth quarter.
"I mean, if you look at it, we've had leads in the fourth quarter in the past three games and legitimately probably thought in each game that we were going to win it and then we lost. So, I mean, that's the NFL. It humbles you real quick and it's doing it to a lot of people in here and we have to learn how to win the close games now. Soon. This week."
