New York Giants Studs and Duds vs. Dallas Cowboys Week 1

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Preston Parker: Dud

Jun 16, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Preston Parker (83) participates in practice during minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Ryan-USA TODAY Sports

Last season Preston Parker stepped up admirably for the injured Victor Cruz to play the slot. He played well at times, but was also susceptible to drops and poor performance as a receiver. A big reason he made the roster was because of his abilities as a return man, but when injuries pressed him into duty he did what he could.

But, with Dwayne Harris signed as an ace special teamer, returning kicks, punts and covering kickoffs and punts, Parker’s roster spot looked to be in peril. When the Giants signed veteran James Jones, it looked even less likely Parker would make the team. But, when final cuts came, the Giant decided to go with the player they were more familiar with in Parker than the veteran Jones.

Well, for at least one week, that has looked like a horrible decision. Parker struggled mightily Sunday against the Cowboys, killing a number of drives for the Giants. He caught two passes for 26 yards on their final drive to help keep things moving, but had monumental drops throughout the game. With players such as Odell Beckham Jr., Rueben Randle, Larry Donnell and Shane Vereen to throw to, the Giants decided to draw up plays and target Parker an inexplicable four times on third downs.

Do you know how many of those he caught? You guessed it right; zero. Parker dropped three of the passes thrown his way on third down, all of which would have went for a first down and kept the Giants drives going. On a night that the Giants were struggling to get things going, Parker didn’t help the process with his drops that killed drives and stunted the offense.

Oh, did we mention that Jones just caught two touchdown passes in his first game back with the Green Bay Packers? That will just add more fuel to the fire of Giants fans disappointment from Week 1 as a player that could have easily been in Parker’s spot flourished while Parker flopped.

Next: New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys Team Grades

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