Monday, January 31, 2011

N.J.'s Super stadium can hold its own

A crew working on a Super Bowl display at Cowboys Stadium.
A crew working on a Super Bowl display at Cowboys Stadium.
By John Brennan - North Jersey 1/31/11

Giants' Justin Tuck and Antrel Rolle get their words on the same page

Free safety Antrel Rolle and Giants teammate defensive end Justin Tuck have time to chat during the first quarter of Sunday's NFL Pro Bowl game in Honolulu, Hawaii.
By Mike Garafolo - Star Ledger 1/31/11

Much-discussed return of Plax remains a longshot

By Ralph Vacchiano - NY Dailynews 1/31/11

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Thursday, January 27, 2011

InReeseWeTrust.com New York Giants Offseason Report, Early NFL Draft Projections, & Free Agency Projections

By Ben Kelly - InReeseWeTrust.com 1/27/11

            For the third consecutive season, the New York Giants failed to live up to the expectations and burdens of the 2007 Championship season. Though finishing with a usually playoff bound 10-6 record, the Giants never put their foot down with a statement win to quiet doubters and intimidate opponents. Instead, the season was defined by statement losses. The Giants lost back-to-back games three times during the season. In week 15, the Giants led Philadelphia 31-10 with eight minutes to play and inexplicably allowed four touchdowns to lose the game. One week later the Packers blew out the Giants 45-17 in Green Bay. Beforehand, the winner of the Green Bay game would have all but clinched a wild card spot and essentially eliminate the loser, and the Giants got creamed. All the momentum made in Perry Fewell’s first season unraveled in the defense giving up 66 points in a 68 minute period.  The unit finished seventh in yardage allowed and eighteenth in points allowed.

            While they didn’t make the playoffs, the Giants did win ten games, and there is a lot to like about the current roster. Eli Manning threw for 31 touchdowns, but it will be key to the team’s success for his turnover rates to lower- he threw 25 interceptions and fumbled seven times. The offense exploded thanks to the breakout of wide receivers Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham, who accounted for 1996 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns combined. Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined for 2058 yards on the ground behind a rotational offensive line. The Giants’ defensive line impressed, including rookie Jason Pierre-Paul emerging as a solid pass rusher, and Osi Umenyiora returning to form with 11.5 sacks, which equaled Justin Tuck’s total. Jerry Reese has already identified the linebacker corps and secondary as areas that will be targeted in the offseason.

List of unrestricted free agents:
DJ Ware, Running back
Keith Bulluck, Linebacker
Deon Grant, Safety
Jim Sorgi, Quarterback
Derek Hagan, Wide receiver
Domenik Hixon, Wide receiver
Chase Blackburn, Line backer
Bear Pascoe, Tight end
Courtney Brown, Corner back
Jamon Meredith, Offensive line
Michael Clayton, Wide receiver

List of restricted free agents:
Ahmad Bradshaw, Running back
Barry Cofield, Defensive tackle
Mathias Kiwanuka, Defensive end
Steve Smith, Wide receiver
Kevin Boss, Tight end
Kevin Boothe, Guard
Dave Tollefson, Defensive end
Michael Johnson, Safety
Will Blackmon, Cornerback
Gerris Wilkinson, Linebacker

Free Agency Wish List
1.      Ahmad Bradshaw- Bradshaw was the focal point of this season’s offense in his first year as a starter, and I can’t see the Giants letting him walk after grooming him from the 7th round of the 2007 Draft. Stays

2.      Kevin Boss- While Boss may wish for more attention in the passing game, he must be praised for his run blocking. The running game suffered when Boss was hurt late in the season. Stays

3.      Barry Cofield- Cofield is the best defensive tackle on the roster, and didn’t receive much of a push from 2nd round rookie Linval Joseph. The four-year veteran will be looking for payday, but will the Giants be the ones to hand it to him given all the money spent on defensive line? Stays

4.      Steve Smith- Smith is a must-sign as one of Eli Manning’s favorite targets, and will come cheaper due to his knee injury. Stays

5.      Deon Grant- Grant would be welcomed back for his veteran presence, but safety is a crowded position with Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips also returning. Grant will want more playing time and wants to start next season. Walks

6.     Chase Blackburn- Blackburn is the special teams captain, and his leadership is valued. Though he likely won’t contend for a starting linebacker spot, he should be brought back. Stays

NFL Free Agents- Players who will be in a Giants uniform next season
1.     Chad Greenway, Linebacker, Minnesota Vikings- Greenway is a tackling machine- he recorded 144 this season- and is a fit in the 4-3 scheme. Greenway is the best linebacker available in the 2011 offseason, draft and free agency included.

2.     Logan Mankins, Guard, New England Patriots- Mankins is a Pro Bowler who will test the market after refusing a long-term offer from New England.

3.     Plaxico Burress, Wide receiver- Giants management and the fans want Plax back. Get it done!

First Round Draft Prospects
1.      Mark Ingram, Running back, Alabama- Ingram becomes an option only if Bradshaw is signed by another team. The Heisman Trophy winner would slide right into a powerful rotation with Brandon Jacobs if that were the case.

2.      Akeem Ayers, Linebacker, UCLA- The Giants have drafted linebackers in the middle rounds of the past few draft (Gerris Wilkinson, Clint Sintim, Brian Kehl) that either have not developed or were poor fits for the 4-3 scheme. The 6’4” 250 pounds Ayers played outside linebacker in the 4-3 at UCLA. Another linebacker option is Von Miller out of Texas A&M.

3.      Tyron Smith, Offensive tackle, Southern Cal- The talented junior could be part of the rebuilding of the offensive line and would give the Giants a second young tackle alongside Will Beatty to develop. Other offensive line options include Gabe Carimi of Wisconsin and Anthony Castonzo of Boston College. 

War and Football: The Gulf War Super Bowl 20 Years Later

12 Jan 1991: Kicker Scott Norwood of the Buffalo Bills misses a 47-yard field goal wide right as time runs out to lose the game during Super Bowl XXV against the New York Giants at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The Giants won the game, 20-19.
By Dave Wahlen - Bleacher Report 1/27/11

Don Banks: 2011 NFL Mock Draft 1.0

USC OT, Tyron Smith
By Don Banks - Sports Illustrated 1/27/11

Piece of the Puzzle

By Giants.com 1/26/11

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Plaxico's agent says former Giants receiver will play in 2011

Plaxico Burress 
By Paul Schwartz - NY Post 1/26/11

Senior Bowl: A look at Offensive Tackles

By Pat Kirwan - NFL.com & Giants.com 1/26/11

All-Joe Team: The unheralded prime performers from NFL '10

Bucs QB Josh Freeman led his team from 3-13 in 2009 to 10-6 this season.
By Nate Davis - USA Today 1/26/11

Plaxico Burress: Will He Return To the New York Giants?

By Jim Mancari - Bleacher Report 1/26/11

New York Giants: Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress Teammates Once More...Top NFL Move

By Jude Wilmot - Bleacher Report 1/26/11

New York Giants: To Keep Or Not To Keep, Who The NY Giants Need To Re-Sign

By Hunter Saldivar - Bleacher Report 1/26/11

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Four Giants named second team All-Pro

Osi Umenyiora & Justin Tuck were two of the members of the New York Giants to be selected as 2nd Team All-Pro. 
By Ralph Vacchiano - NY Dailynews 1/25/11

GM: Tom Coughlin talk spun wrong

By Ohm Youngmisuk - ESPNNY.com 1/24/11

2011 Senior Bowl: 10 Players The New York Giants Will Have Their Eyes On

By Jeff Shull - Bleacher Report 1/25/11

NFL Report: Giant Super Villain Tiki Barber Goes Off On All Time NFL Backs

By David Rush - Bleacher Report 1/25/11

Reese: Fixing Eli is Eli's job

By Paul Schwartz - NY Post 1/25/11

Harrison or Tyree? Our experts debate

James Harrison, left, changed the complexion of Super Bowl XLIII with a 100-yard INT return right before halftime. David Tyree made a catch for the ages in SB XLII, propelling the Giants to an improbable win.
By Greg Garber & Ian O'Connor - ESPNNY.com 1/25/10

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Fox Sports New York Giants Offseason Team Report

By Fox Sports 1/20/11

Zak DeOssie named to Pro Bowl

By Giants.com 1/20/10

New York Giants 2011 Off-Season Needs Priority Number 1: Outside Linebacker

By Shaun Morash - InReeseWeTrust.com 1/20/10

The days of the Giants being built from the linebackers on out are long gone. Giants fans over the past decade have longed for the days of Lawrence Taylor, Harry Carson, Carl Banks, and even Jesse Armstead. Year after year it seems the linebackers are becoming more and more of a disappointment. This year however, General Manager Jerry Reese needs to improve this group and get a starter to play on the other side of Michael Boley and Jonathon Goff.

With the aging Keith Bullock appearing as if he is a one-hit wonder as a Giant, and Clint Sintim (whom lost his starting job in 2010 training camp) recovering from an ACL injury that ended his season the Giants need a player, preferably an impact player to solidify the defense at that position. Finding one impact linebacker has been hard enough for the Giants, let alone three, therefore the Giants may have to live with both Jonathon Goff and Michael Boley as starters at their positions for the 2011 season. Boley is under contract, and although many Giants fans have been unhappy with his performance, including a glaring miss position on a Michael Vick TD run in the first Eagles game this year, Boley will stick next season. He is a leader whether we may think it or not.  As for Goff, Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell called him the defensive MVP for this past season. Goff wasn’t expected to start after the Giants had signed Bulluck, but Goff impressed the coaches and would start the entire year at MLB. Although not flashy, Goff is a young player who is solid in every aspect of the game at that position. He is most certainly worth another year of growth there. Jerry Reese must take what they have in Boley and Goff and find an impact player on the other side to replace Bullock and perhaps Sintim.

Which route the General Manger takes in fulfilling this priority is up in the air.  Do the Giants try and add a player via free agency? The Giants have had decent success in recent memory at adding free agents at Linebacker. Bulluck was solid off an injury this year, and Michael Barrow and Antonio Pierce ended up being big time additions to teams that went to Super Bowls.  There are also the failures at Free Agency, Carlos Emmons and Barret Green fall into that category.  Free Agency can be just as big a crap shoot as the draft can be. With the uncertainty of the new Collective Bargaining agreement up in the air, the Free Agents at this position for the most part are unknown.  This past season was played without a salary cap, and there is no telling if and what the salary cap will be in 2011, and what decisions teams will need to make regarding cuts. As it stands the Giants will need to take care of several key free agents of their own, which may take up a lot of their free agency dollars.  However, one name that appears headed for the market is Vikings Linebacker Chad Greenway.  Greenway, a sure tackler, would fit the perfect need for the Giants.

Then there is the draft route for Big Blue.  The Giants seemed to have wasted several mid round picks on linebackers that have simply not panned out.  Whether it was Wesley Mallard, Nick Greisen, Brandon Short, Gerris Wilkinson, Bryan Kehl, or most recently 2nd rounder Clint Sintim, it seems as if the Giants have failed in finding an impact player at linebacker when not taken in the first round. But that is the key, the first round.
The Giants have had solid success as far as first rounder’s go in recent years.  Jason Pierre-Paul appears as if he will be a stud and Hakeem Nicks, if he can stay healthy, may become one of the games best wide outs. Kenny Phillips, Aaron Ross, and Eli Manning remain key contributers on this team, all first rounders. So why doesn’t Jerry Reese take the success Big Blue has had in the first round and try and turn it into an impact linebacker this team hasn’t seen in nearly a decade.  On the early draft boards the top 5 outside linebackers seem to be headed by Texas A&M’s Von Miller. Many boards have Miller going at the 9th pick to the Tennessee Titans.  If he is 9th pick eligible why doesn’t Reese see if he can gamble and trade up to get him.

Many of these same boards have the Giants drafting offensive line in the first round which is a mistake. Offensive linemen, like running backs, are a unique position where you can find many impact players in later rounds, without having to spend first round money.  The Giants offensive line is aging and there is a need there no question, but worthy of a first round pick?  No way, not before linebacker at least.  If a trade for Miller isn’t feasible the Giants could be interested in North Carolina’s Bruce Carter, UCLA’s junior Akeem Ayers, Boston College’s Mark Herzlich, and Nevada’s Moch Dontay.  Any of the other available outside linebackers in this year’s draft don’t seem to have first round immediate impact player written on them.  However, it is still January and as many football fans know, the scouting combine changes many experts and coaches views on players.

The GMen and Jerry Reese should seriously look themselves in the mirror and realize that with Michael Vick, Tony Romo, and maybe even Cam Newton in the NFC East, to go with the gluttony of back breaking running backs we as fans have seen break our hearts, that an impact linebacker is indeed priority number one. We as a fan base cannot kid ourselves into thinking this team doesn’t have other holes and needs, including along the offensive line, but Reese should absolutely be thinking OLB in round number ONE.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

2011 NFL Mock Draft, Version 5.0 (Trade Edition)

Aldon Smith, DE/OLB Missouri
By Jeff Risdon - RealGM.com 1/19/11

Several Giants not pleased with Antrel Rolle's criticism of Tom Coughlin in comparison to Rex Ryan

Justin Tuck tells the Daily News he plans to speak with Giants safety Antrel Rolle regarding his teammate's praise of Jets coach Rex Ryan and denigration of Tom Coughlin.
By Ralph Vacchiano - NY Dailynews 1/19/11

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Former Giants great Lawrence Taylor scores big time with no-jail deal; cops to two misdemeanors

Lawrence Taylor was looking at a possible four years in prison before pleading guilty to patronizing a prostitute and sexual misconduct.
Lawrence Taylor was looking at a possible four years in prison before pleading guilty to patronizing a prostitute and sexual misconduct.
By Oren Yaniv - NY Dailynews 1/15/11

Former Giants LB Pierce mulled NFL comeback

Former NY Giants LB Antonio Pierce
By Paul Schwartz - NY Post 1/14/11

Giants add Reserve/Future Contracts

By Giants.com 1/14/11

Friday, January 14, 2011

Perry Fewell likely back with Giants

By Ohm Youngmisuk - ESPNNY.com 1/14/11

Giants take shot on troubled QB

By Vinni DiTrani - North Jersey 1/14/11

Giants didn't show all schemes in 2007 finale vs. Patriots, which was key to Super Bowl upset

Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo reveals the Giants didn't want to risk revealing their defensive game plan for the first round of the playoffs in their 2007 season finale against New England.
By Ralph Vacchiano - NY Dailynews 1/14/11

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