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The New York Giants will be very short handed at quarterback Saturday when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. It will be the team’s second preseason game.

Starting QB Eli Manning is unavailable after receiving 12 stitches in his forehead after being injured Monday night against the Jets.  Manning was in uniform but did not wear any pads or his helmet during practice yesterday.

Backup Jim Sorgi was seen in a helmet but no pads. The veteran backup is nursing a sore shoulder and will be out of Saturday’s game as well. His status for the remainder of the preseason is unknown.  That leaves just Rhett Bomar.

The Giants had just three quarterbacks on the roster until they signed former Holy Cross QB Dominic Randolph on Wednesday. Randolph was with the team in rookie camp but did not catch onto the roster for training camp.

Continue this article at Double G Sports.

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In the matter of one offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers went from a thin linebacker corps to one that is potentially very deep with talent.

Several players showcased their abilities last week against the Detroit Lions and will hope to make a further impression this week against the New York Giants.

They will have to do so to solidify a roster spot because starters LaMarr Woodley, James Farrior, Lawrence Timmons, and James Harrison are all locks.  It is also unlikely that the Steelers cut ties with backups Larry Foote, Keyaron Fox, and second round draft pick Jason Worilds.

Fox was particularly impressive against the Lions, particularly against the run, and finished with four solo tackles and a pass defended.

That may mean only one roster spot for fourth round selection Thaddeus Gibson and fifth round pick Stevenson Sylvester.

Each player has been a highlight throughout training camp in different ways.

Gibson flashed pass rushing ability throughout practices and demonstrated this last Saturday. He nearly recorded a sack, but the Lions’ quarterback was able to pick up a yard before being stopped by Gibson.

Given the severe lack of depth the Steelers had at outside linebacker last season, Gibson stepping up could be huge.

Though it is unlikely that he will see much, if any time in the base defense, Gibson’s presence could bode well for the future. As for this season, his likely contributions will come on special teams as he learns the defense.

Even so, Gibson stepping up is particularly important considering the injuries Worilds has experienced already and the lack of any backup veteran outside linebacker standing out.

The more interesting prospect, though, has been Sylvester.

The college tape of Sylvester showed that he had a lot of the skills necessary to be a successful NFL player. So far he has not disappointed.

After watching Sylvester in camp and the first preseason game, the Steelers will have to give serious consideration to keeping nine linebackers on the roster instead of eight.

Sylvester, as he showed in camp, was around the ball carrier, always in position to make the stop and finished with a game high seven tackles, four being solo.

One knock on Sylvester was his technique. He easily could have had an additional two or three tackles, but bounced right off of the runner. Improvement in wrapping up the runner is imperative if he is to ever be an every down linebacker.

Adding extra weight should help.

At 6-2 231 pounds, Sylvester has the appearance of being slightly undersized and has room to add some more bulk. In many ways, this is reminiscent of Larry Foote as a rookie, a smart ball player who had trouble tackling in part because he was slightly undersized.

It is unlikely that the Steelers will be able to sneak Sylvester on the practice squad and it would be worth the risk to keep him on as a ninth linebacker. He will also be able to contribute on special teams.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense is about allowing the linebackers to make the plays. They currently have four very good ones starting. With the emergence of the rookies, the proud tradition looks to be in good hands.

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Eli Manning isn’t the only Giants quarterback who will miss New York’s preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Scratch backup Jim Sorgi, too. Sorgi had an MRI on Thursday and was diagnosed with a torn capsule in his right shoulder that will sideline him two to three weeks, said Matt Brei, his agent.

Aside from that subtle three-inch gash on the franchise quarterback’s forehead and arguably one of the best preseason performances of all time by a wide receiver, there wasn’t very much that stood out in Monday night’s clash between the Giants and Jets.

Nonetheless, there were parts of the game that deserve some nit-picking and analysis. Here is a list of random developments that occurred en route to the Giants 31-16 victory.

Quick Hits

1. Eli Manning is getting credit for his toughness—and deservedly so—but where’s the love for Jim Sorgi? As was the case last year, the backup offensive line was shaky at best. But he continued to stand in and take his lumps, most notably on Victor Cruz’s second touchdown.

He took a hit that had him down for a few extra moments, and came up holding his shoulder. It turns out that this shot came with a price, and may keep him out for the rest of the preseason. For a veteran player trying to hold off an upstart young quarterback, this is not good news. But it is a reflection of Sorgi’s willingness to take a hit.

2. It was nice to see Jason Pierre-Paul wrap his enormously long arms around Mark Sanchez. Especially against the Jets’ first-strings. Rex Ryan claimed that it was a miscommunication along the Jets offensive line, but it looked more like the talented rookie made a terrific move to get around Damien Woody, then swallowed Mark Sanchez.

3. Speaking of rookie defensive linemen, second-round pick Linval Joseph showed some nice burst.

4. Ahmad Bradshaw definitely has his legs back. Of course, this doesn’t mean much in preseason. But it is refreshing to see that he has fully recovered from sustaining two broken feet in 2009.

5. The Jets defense was good on Monday, but the Giants offense was clearly out of sync. Mario Manningham looked like a player who missed most of camp, and Ramses Barden looked lethargic on some of his routes. This may be attributed to a back injury he apparently has struggled with for the past week. It’s pretty obvious that Manning hasn’t quite re-kindled the rhythm he had with his young receivers last season. But speaking of Barden…

6. Now that it appears Manning will be fine after doing his best pinball impression, I feel better turning the focus to what the play actually was intended to be. Since he was drafted, we’ve been waiting to see Barden one-on-one against a corner in the red zone.

Before Jacobs triggered a disturbing sequence of events, it was clear Manning was poised to lob a pass in Barden’s direction. I guess we just have to wait another week.

7. Classy play on Kiwanuka’s part not to crush Sanchez during Antrel Rolle’s interception return. During the regular season, expect a slightly more aggressive approach.

What Exactly Was the Gameplan?

On the defensive side of the ball, it appeared to be very vanilla, which is perfectly fine. Fewell would send an occasional blitz, but there was no sign of the exotic fronts such as “Nascar” and “Big Base” that we’ve been hearing about.

That’s why the Jets long drive that followed Sanchez’s interception isn’t that discouraging. They didn’t manhandle the Giants, and aside from a few disappointing plays, such as Terrell Thomas whiffing Ladainian Tomlinson on 3rd-and-13, then having 12 men on the field—none of whom covered Brad Smith—it was a solid defensive outing for the G-Men.

Offensively, I won’t be as lenient. We all knew the Jets defense would come out fired up, and the Giants looked fairly complacent. Running unsuccessfully on first and second down to set up third-and-longs was a prominent theme last year, and that was the case on Monday night.

Considering Manning wasn’t exactly in mid-season form, this led to short drives. On the third possession, they finally developed a little offensive momentum thanks to a perfectly placed ball by Manning to a well-covered Hakeem Nicks on third-and-long.

Because the starting 11 have rarely practiced as a unit in camp, and the fact that both starting guards were missing, I’ll give the them a pass. But offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride will have to be a little more creative with his gameplans this year to avoid putting Manning in those long third-down situations.

Not So Special Teams

It was a terrible night for this unit. Matt Dodge looked awful on all of his punts, despite being bailed out in the box score by multiple favorable bounces.

Andre Brown completely whiffed on his block, which led to Dodge’s third punt being blocked.

I don’t mean to be blunt, but the Giants don’t have a kick returner right now. I feel like the last kick returner the Giants had that boasted true explosiveness was Willie Ponder. Due to the fragile state of the Giants running game, I would hate to see them utilize a running back on kick returns. So, who does this leave?

I’d like to see Victor Cruz field a few kick returns on Saturday against Pittsburgh. Against the Jets, he retrieved one punt, but was immediately tackled. His performance on Monday may not solidify his status as a future all-world receiver, but it does prove one thing: He isn’t afraid of the spotlight. I say give him a chance at kick returner and get as much use out of this guy as you possibly can.

As disturbing as some of Matt Dodge’s shanked punts were, the one that rings loudest was the one that went for a touchback. It wasn’t a very good attempt at pinning the Jets inside the 10, and is a harsh reminder of what the Giants had but is now gone. Hopefully, Dodge can develop that part of his game quickly.

Looking Ahead

On Saturday night, the Giants will light up the New Meadowlands Stadium blue for the first time against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But they will do so without the face of their franchise, in addition to the guy who makes a living out of backing up superstars.

This may not be that bad of a thing after all. Rhett Bomar’s potential is unquestioned, and he was surprisingly efficient on Monday. He’ll have a chance to work with the first-team offense on Saturday, or at least most of it, and show whether or not he has the skills to supplant Sorgi as the team’s backup.

Privately, the Giants are rooting for Bomar to win this competition. They’d rather only carry two quarterbacks, and it’s clear that the Giants plan for Bomar to be the quarterback of the future. The quicker Bomar becomes that guy, the better.

Beyond Bomar is where the situation gets shaky. After getting word of Sorgi’s injury, the Giants signed Dom Randolph to presumably play a little quarterback on Saturday. Kevin Gilbride also said they may install Antrel Rolle at quarterback for a few snaps.

Rolle, who the Giants saw first-hand as a guy with an exceptional arm, has been lobbying since he signed with the Giants to be involved in a few gadget plays on the offensive side of the ball. On Saturday, he may get his chance.

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