Talent is almost always the deciding factor in who stays and who goes on a football team, but leadership intangibles also play a part. Best-case scenario: players who have plenty of both.
That's what the Giants were hoping for in signing running back Jonathan Stewart, cornerback William Gay and pass rusher Connor Barwin. All have been extremely productive throughout their careers, and all have been terrific at imparting the lessons of the NFL on their younger teammates.
But as cutdown day approaches and the Giants need to make the hard decisions about their final 53, these three thirtysomethings may have trouble convincing the coaching staff and management that their talent is good enough to keep their leadership skills on the roster. And even if any of them do stay _ chances are Stewart makes the team because of the $3.45-million guarantee in his contract _ their contributions on the field may not amount to what the Giants would have liked.
First things first, though. No decisions have been made about any of them, and coach Pat Shurmur won't make that call until before the Sept. 1 cutdown day.
"I don't want to talk about that yet," he said of the three veterans.
But in speaking generally about keeping older players as leaders, Shurmur made it clear that it takes more than being a good locker room presence to make his team.
"We all have to produce," Shurmur said. "Everybody that's coaching or playing has to produce. It's important that you have a veteran presence, but you also have to have a youthful team. That's the balancing act you have."
Stewart figured to be an ideal mentor for rookie tailback Saquon Barkley, who missed Friday night's preseason game against the Lions with a hamstring strain. Although it's important not to read too much into what happens in exhibition games, the 31-year-old running back certainly hasn't distinguished himself with six carries for 2 yards. The Giants hope that's an anomaly, and that Stewart can be the kind of complementary back he was for so many years in Carolina. Last year, he had 680 rushing yards and six touchdowns playing alongside first-round pick Christian McCaffrey.
But the fact is younger backs Wayne Gallman and Robert Martin, who leads the team with 86 yards on 12 carries, have shown the kind of promise you like. The demand for older running backs has been drastically reduced in the NFL, and Stewart will need to fight time to remain productive.
Barwin, who totaled 31 { sacks the previous four seasons, was being counted on to supplement the pass rush. But after running with the second team through the first part of training camp, he hasn't played since the preseason opener because of what the team said is "soreness."
Gay, 33, has been an active participant in practice, and the Giants can use all the help they can get in pass defense. But he is running as a second-team safety after dabbling with the nickel corner position at the start of camp. A former mainstay in the Steelers' secondary, Gay enters his 12th season unsure about what lies ahead.
For now, the leadership part is on hold.
"Right now, just trying to make the team," Gay said. "Doing whatever I can to contribute, to show the coaches, the GM, the owner that I'm capable of helping the team win games."
That's no different than it was when he entered the league with the Steelers in 2007.
"All I'm used to is competition," he said. "Training camp was intense, because you just never know who they're going to keep. Nobody was locked in. They didn't care about money, how many years you've been there. Every year, your back is against the wall."
Leadership qualities or not, time isn't on the side of NFL players on the other side of 30.
