Giants Make Final Cuts To Finalize 53-Man Roster
Blue, Sept.3,2005

And I have to say, I'm pretty goddamn surprised by quite a few of them. I will get into that in a moment. For now let's get to the cuts:

According to Michael Eisen, of Giants.com, technically, the contracts of linebacker Kevin Lewis, quarterback Jesse Palmer, running back Michael Cloud and offensive lineman Lewis Kelly were terminated.

The players who were waived include offensive linemen Wayne Lucier, Brandon Winey, Morgan Pears and Myniya Smith, running back Ryan Grant, wide receivers Mark Jones, Ataveus Cash and Michael Jennings, tight end Darius Williams, defensive linemen Jonas Seawright and Raheem Orr, linebackers James Maxwell and T.J. Hollowell, and safety Curry Burns.

The Giants also announced the signing of Chad Morton, a veteran running back who can return punts and kickoffs. Yes, the same Chad Morton who was put on PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) last week by the New England Patriots.

All four draft choices made the team: Corey Webster, Justin Tuck, Brandon Jacobs and Eric Moore. So did rookie free agents: defensive end Adrian Awasom, linebacker Chase Blackburn and safety James Butler.

The two biggest surprises, to this befuddled fan, are Jesse Palmer and Mark Jones. Palmer may not be a quarterback extraordinaire, but, Jared Lorenzen has shown nothing to make him any more than Practice Squad material and, I'm sorry, but Tim Hasselbeck scares the hell out of me with his inconsistency and the ease with which his mind can leave the game. And wasn't Tom Coughlin, just yesterday, praising Jones to anyone who would listen? I know I saw him have a damn good game against New England Friday night. And, God knows, he has to be easier on the wallet (a.k.a. salary cap) than Morton. Make that Jones and Cloud combined.

And how do James Butler and Adrian Awasom make the cut over Curry Burns? Or players in positions where we have suffered before like offensive lineman Wayne Lucier and linebacker Kevin Lewis? Send them to NFLE to get some more field time under their belts and they are exempt from the cut, if you want to keep them.

This is a very strange day in Giantland, folks.

You can check out the current 53-man roster here. That is, the roster as of today. This second.