http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/saquon-barkley-jersey , who appeared only a few days ago to have solidified a spot as the No. 2 quarterback for the New York Giants, is being waived.ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan was first with the report.The move means that veteran Alex Tanney and fourth-round pick Kyle Lauletta will be the backups for Eli Manning. In which order remains unknown.Webb was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by then-Giants GM Jerry Reese. He didn’t play a single snap last season as the Giants careened to a 3-13 season that saw Reese and coach Ben McAdoo fired before the season ended.New GM Dave Gettleman and new coach Pat Shurmur both said when they came on board that they knew little about Webb.An avid student of the game and hard worker, Webb did everything possible to prove to the Giants new regime that he was capable of being Manning’s backup, and perhaps deserving of a shot at being his heir at some point down the line.That, however, wasn’t to be.The Giants new regime has decided, quite simply, that Webb is not the quarterback they want backing up — or succeeding — Manning.Nothing about Webb’s time with the Giants has ever been easy to understand. Reese drafted Webb without McAdoo having met with or worked him out. When the Giants season went into the Hudson River last year and he should have been playing, he wasn’t. Now that he appeared to earn the backup job, he has instead earned a ticket to the NFL unemployment line.Webb went 28-of-53 (52.8 percent) for 283 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in the preseason. He did not play in the final preseason game, a curious move which perhaps can now be explained by the fact that he has been let go.There were whispers on Saturday that the Giants were trying to trade Webb. Still hopeful of doing so at the deadline for setting 53-man rosters on Saturday, the Giants hung on to four quarterbacks.Unable to find a trade partner, and needing to clear roster space for the six players they claimed on waivers Saturday, the Giants parted ways with the second-year quarterback.Webb went 28-of-53 (52.8 percent) for 283 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions in the preseason.Can the Giants' defense give the offense a chance against Houston? The New York Giants have started yet another season 0-2. Historically speaking, at this point they should be more concerned with whether they will be drafting in the top 10 than if they are playing in January. The onus for their record, however http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/patrick-omameh-jersey , is on the offense, not the defense. Over the first two games, the Giants' defense has given up a paltry 33 points, or just 16.5 per game. If your defense is doing that, it is doing enough to win games in the NFL. Will the Giants' defense once again do enough to put the offense in position to win this Sunday against the Houston Texans?Stats at a glanceTexans’ offenseRushing yards: 157.5 ypgPassing yards: 223.5 ypgTotal yards: 381.0 ypgPoints: 18.5 per gameGiants' defenseRushing yards: 137.5 ypgPassing yards: 164.0 ypgTotal yards: 301.5 ypgPoints: 20.0 per gameContaining Deshaun WatsonThe Giants can defend the run when it is the running back who is carrying the ball. Despite some missed tackles, Ezekiel Elliott still only managed 74 yards on the Giants' defense last Sunday. However, the team has been repeatedly gashed by quarterback runs. In Week 1, Blake Bortles picked up 42 yards on four carries against the Giants, and Dak Prescott picked up 45 yards on seven runs this past Sunday.Deshaun Watson is a talented passer who processes information quickly and can put the ball where he needs to, as well as extend plays and throw on the run. That all makes him dangerous enough, but that same athletic ability also allows him to hurt defenses as a runner. Watson typically scrambles to throw, but he is fully capable of running the read-option or picking up yards on his own when plays break down. So far this season, Watson has picked up 84 yards on 10 carries. His intelligence, as much as his athletic ability, make him dangerous with the ball in his hands. Defending the read-option is a tricky proposition. It takes away a defense's natural numbers advantage and forces the defense to slow down. There are schematic ways of countering the read-option, such as forcing a desired read by the quarterback. However http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/kareem-martin-jersey , even if they are able to force the read, they must be able to secure the tackle so they aren't allowing chunk plays. The key for the Giants, both in the run game and in the pass game when Watson tries to scramble, will be discipline. Replacing Eli Apple?Eli Apple was part of the questions regarding the Giants' 2018 season, and after a disastrous 2017 season, the questions were understandable. But the young corner stepped up and answered those questions. First with his words with the media in the off-season, then with his actions on the field in camp. So far both Bortles and Prescott tried to pick on Apple for long gains, but every time he stepped up and denied them. Through the first game and a half of the season, Apple played up to his draft spot, showing off his physical tools and a poised mastery of his craft that he hadn't possessed before. The third year player finally seemed to be maturing and coming in to his own. Then he left Sunday night's game with a groin injury, putting his status for Sunday's game in doubt (as of this writing). The loss of Apple could be a significant one for the Giants' defense. Not only is the position thin behind Apple and Janoris Jenkins, but the defensive scheme is built around blitzing out of man coverage. From a straight matchup perspective, the Giants best chance might be to use Jenkins and Curtis Riley to double-cover DeAndre Hopkins, while using Apple's size and speed to try and lock down the fast but undersized Will Fuller.If Apple is out, the Giants will likely look to B.W. Webb to cover Fuller, but he doesn't have the physical tools that Apple does.If the Texans are able to force the Giants out of their defensive scheme to account for the loss of Apple http://www.newyorkgiantsteamonline.com/aldrick-rosas-jersey , perhaps by playing two safeties deep to counter both Fuller and Hopkins, it will likely spell trouble for the defense. Where is the pass rush? Perhaps the defense's biggest Achilles heel has been their utter lack of a pass rush without Olivier Vernon. Vernon suffered an ankle injury in practice before the fourth preseason game, and has yet to get back on the field. Without Vernon, the Giants have been unable to muster any kind of a pass rush or consistently pressure quarterbacks. When they are able to pressure passers, it is usually through some sort of blitz package, which could be compromised if Apple misses the game. The best option, obviously, would be for a healthy return by Vernon. The Giants could also stand to get rookie edge rusher Lorenzo Carter more involved with the defense as well. Carter is lightning quick off the snap and has speed that not even Vernon can match, as well as length to engage and defeat blockers first. Carter is still raw and developing as an NFL player -- his incredible athleticism allowed Georgia to use him in a wide variety of roles, but that kept him from developing as a more specialized player might. But despite that, his explosiveness needs to be utilized by the defense, even if Vernon does return. With the secondary possibly weakened by injury, and Curtis Riley still learning the free safety position, the Giants need to find a way to pressure the quarterback, if at all possible without blitzing. Being able to do so might change the entire complexion of the defense.