Austin in Illinois: When Ojulari and Thibodeaux return from their injuries can we expect there to be a more fierce pass rush then what we've seen?
John Schmeelk: They are team's most talented individual pass rushers that can win one-on-one outside, so it is safe to say their return should give the team a more consistent pass rush on a snap-by-snap basis. It's important not to take too much out of their first game back against the Cowboys. Cooper Rush unloaded the ball quickly in the game, and neither Ojulari nor Thibodeaux had played in a game since August. It will take some time for them to play their best football.
Andy in New York: Everyone knows that any sort of contact with either the sideline or the back line constitutes out-of-bounds. However, all eight pylons are situated on either one or both of those lines, which physically makes each of them a vertical extension of the out-of-bounds boundary. So how is it that any sort of contact with a pylon constitutes a touchdown? It would make a lot more sense to situate each of them just inside those boundaries. The current setup just doesn't make sense. Could you get some clarification on this from the league? Thanks!
John Schmeelk: I'll refer you to the Section 2, Article 1 of Rule 11. It states that a touchdown is scored when "a ball in player possession touches the pylon, provided that, after contact by an opponent, no part of the player's body, except his hands or feet, struck the ground before the ball touched the pylon."
Bob in London: Will the offense start to open up more now that they are a month into the new season?
John Schmeelk: Any good coaching staff is going to set up his offense to match the talent on the roster. There are some correctable issues in pass protection, and there is still a feeling out process at wide receiver to find players that can be consistent and make big plays. This will continue in earnest after the injury to Sterling Shepard. A new coaching staff was not going to immediately turn this Giants offense into the Bills or Chiefs offense. It is going to take some time.
Twitter question: @AdamCarl13: I don't recall hearing about any practice squad protections each week so far do they still do the protections ? And if so when is the day they make those protections ?
John Schmeelk: There are still four protections on the practice squad, but these aren't announced by the teams each week. They are protected for the entirety of the week, so they cannot be signed by other teams.
