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The Bills have the stronger QB depth. Thaddeus Lewis and Jeff Tuel are
the primary competitors for the top reserve role behind Manuel, with
Dennis Dixon also in reserve. Lewis was superior to Tuel a season ago,
winning a pair of his five starts. Tuel, Lewis and Dixon all have two
seasons of experience in Buffalo’s offense.
The Giants’ QB depth chart is more unsettled. Second-year pro Ryan Nassib, a fourth-round pick in 2013, is trying to beat out Curtis Painter, who held the backup job a season ago. Both are trying to master the new offense -- and with less practice reps than Manning, to be certain.
Which club has the better depth?
We’ll give the edge to the Bills, who have some skilled players holding down reserve roles on both sides of the ball, especially at tailback. Potential third-stringer Bryce Brown is a starter-caliber talent; if he’s getting backup reps in the summer, he could put up some nice numbers against reserve defenses.
The Giants have decent depth, but they will be without tailback David Wilson (neck), and rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (hamstring) will likely sit, too. In other words, the Giants’ offense might have some issues moving the ball once the starters depart.
If the Bills have stronger depth, then what’s the case for the Giants? Well, for one thing, Tom Coughlin-led clubs have generally done OK in preseason openers. According to Covers.com, his teams are 9-7-1 against the number in their preseason games since 1996 (56.3 percent), with nine straight-up wins. We offer this data to take or leave, not as a sure-fire angle, of course.
Finally, how much scoring can we reasonably expect?
Here are some historical numbers to ponder:
In the 12 completed Hall of Fame games since 2000, teams have combined to average 34.8 points. Overall, in those 12 seasons with a completed Hall of Fame game (which excludes 2003 and 2011), clubs have combined to average 37.8 points per contest.
Last season, teams averaged 20.6 points in the preseason, the most since 2000, which is as far back as we could find cumulative NFL exhibition point statistics. Teams have averaged at least 20 points in two of the last three seasons.
Overall, teams have combined to average 32.8 points in the last 25 completed Hall of Fame games, which is in line with the over/under of 32.5.
The Giants’ QB depth chart is more unsettled. Second-year pro Ryan Nassib, a fourth-round pick in 2013, is trying to beat out Curtis Painter, who held the backup job a season ago. Both are trying to master the new offense -- and with less practice reps than Manning, to be certain.
Which club has the better depth?
We’ll give the edge to the Bills, who have some skilled players holding down reserve roles on both sides of the ball, especially at tailback. Potential third-stringer Bryce Brown is a starter-caliber talent; if he’s getting backup reps in the summer, he could put up some nice numbers against reserve defenses.
The Giants have decent depth, but they will be without tailback David Wilson (neck), and rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (hamstring) will likely sit, too. In other words, the Giants’ offense might have some issues moving the ball once the starters depart.
If the Bills have stronger depth, then what’s the case for the Giants? Well, for one thing, Tom Coughlin-led clubs have generally done OK in preseason openers. According to Covers.com, his teams are 9-7-1 against the number in their preseason games since 1996 (56.3 percent), with nine straight-up wins. We offer this data to take or leave, not as a sure-fire angle, of course.
Finally, how much scoring can we reasonably expect?
Here are some historical numbers to ponder:
In the 12 completed Hall of Fame games since 2000, teams have combined to average 34.8 points. Overall, in those 12 seasons with a completed Hall of Fame game (which excludes 2003 and 2011), clubs have combined to average 37.8 points per contest.
Last season, teams averaged 20.6 points in the preseason, the most since 2000, which is as far back as we could find cumulative NFL exhibition point statistics. Teams have averaged at least 20 points in two of the last three seasons.
Overall, teams have combined to average 32.8 points in the last 25 completed Hall of Fame games, which is in line with the over/under of 32.5.
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