An NFL Lockout Alternative

By Shaun Morash - InReeseWeTrust.com 4/21/11

            All the thrills and excitement that comes every year from the release of the NFL Schedule were a bit subdued this year. With the lockout now stretching into 2 months and counting, fans find themselves caught up in the start of an MLB season, and even the NBA and NHL playoffs to keep their mind off the NFL’s problems. The NFL fan hasn’t felt the brunt or worried about not having an upcoming season quite yet. That could change next week with the NFL draft and the different feeling it will have when players cannot be traded in that 3 day affair.

            At one point will the fans begin to be worried, at what point will their minds be unoccupied enough to comprehend that there really may not be any football in 2011? Roger Goodell hinted that this season could at least be delayed because of the labor negotiations this week when he mentioned that the league does have a week to play with before the Superbowl. Does that sound like positive encouragement coming from the head of this league? I don’t think so.

            That leaves us with one very important question that no fan has really come to grips with facing yet: What will you do with no NFL football and in particular the G-men every week? The obvious answer for the married men would be spending more time with your wife every weekend. You know the mall, the in laws, all that good stuff you don’t partake in when the Giants and the rest of the league is playing. Sounds fun, right? Not! So for all you men in relationships you better start thinking of hobbies to get you through a long lockout now. Here’s a start. Register for a flag football league or a fall softball league with your buddies. As a flag football player myself on Sunday mornings, I can honestly say it’s a good pick me up for a couple reasons. First you get some exercise, something that can lack easily for us on the couch every Sunday. Second, it still gives you something to look forward to. You still get the rush of wanting to win, the same rush you get on your couch as Justin Tuck blitzes Michael Vick. Third of all, it’s still an activity you and your co workers and friends can come back and talk about throughout the week like you would when you recap the week in the NFL. The same can be applied for a softball league if that’s more your taste. The best part, your wife or girl friend will eat it up if you use the old, it will keep me in shape excuse.

            Maybe getting out and playing ball with your buddies isn’t your thing? How about college football? Yes, I know the playoff system is a sham; the level of play isn’t great. But hey it’s on in high def every weekend with a ton of teams on every week in this market. New York may not be the hotbed for college sports with the lack of big programs around, but why not pick up a college football magazine and pick a team. Programs like Miami, Florida, Notre Dame, USC, etc are literally on every week in New York. Go buy a sweat shirt and get into it. Shift whatever your family plans or other routine you do on Saturday during an NFL season to now doing on Sunday. Spend your Saturdays on the couch getting the football fix.

            If neither of these are for you, then you should hope you are a big baseball, basketball, or hockey fan, because come September and October those will have to be your main focuses. So perhaps now is the time to watch the playoffs get a feel for the Knicks and Rangers before their season’s start again in October and that is the only thing left to crave. That is unless hanging with the in laws and going apple picking every Sunday with a nagging wife is your thing.

            Hopefully the NFL is ready to go on September 11^th, for the sanity of all mankind. However preparations do need to be made starting now football friends, before it’s too late.

InReeseWeTrust.com: New York Giants Updated Draft Needs

By Shaun Morash - InReeseWeTrust.com 4/12/11

            In the midst of talk of labor negotiations, lockouts, and court rooms there is some excitement being generated for NFL fans as the days of April pass. That excitement is the NFL Draft. The draft is 3 days of a new, fresh feeling for fans of all 32 teams, wondering if the player chosen will be the one who helps to get their team over the hump, and into the podium hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in early February.

            The New York Giants and their fans should feel no different. With an elite quarter back in Eli Manning, paired with one of the best receiving corps in the league, as well as a solid secondary, and possibly the best pass rushing unit in the league, the G-Men are so close to putting themselves back into the playoff mix, and even the big game.

            The consensus amongst most fans is the early, and obvious position of need, a play making linebacker. However with the first round studs at that position being the likes of Von Miller, whom seems to be a top 5 pick, and Akeem Ayers who appears as if his best fit will be in a 3-4 system, the Giants may not be able to find that kind of impact need at linebacker in round 1. The next position on their wish list? Offensive line. The Giants seem to be after Florida Center Mike Pouncey. Rich Seubert is coming off a dislocated knee cap in last year’s season finale and Shaun O’Hara struggled to stay on the field and missed the majority of last season. The Giants could draft a stud like Pouncey and have the luxury of having him groomed by like the likes of O’Hara before he has to step in and play every week. Many first round offensive linemen have to step and start right away for a need, Pouncey likely wouldn’t have to do that with Big Blue. Down the line that could be the best thing for this team.

            If Pouncey is gone at pick 19 and Jerry Reese and company don’t love another offensive linemen at that pick, this team could make an interesting change. They could go after a big running back such as Mark Ingram. Ahmad Bradshaw is a free agent, if and when free agency can begin there is no telling what kind of contract he could get on the open market, and if the Giants need to open up the wallets to keep him, they could turn around and cut Brandon Jacobs. Running back could be a position that may be completely different on the roster then it was a year ago. A durable strong Ingram at pick 19 could do wonders for the Giants offense.

            After round 1, the Giants will draft for depth and other needs the rest of the way. The team also has 3 6^th round picks. They could find some depth at cornerback that should be needed, as well as tight end. Tight end is a key position for the Giants. When Kevin Boss was nicked up last season they only had Travis Beckham to turn to. Beckham’s blocking could be rated at a level even less that sub par. Bear Pascoe is still on the roster and was transformed to full back last year, and it is uncertain where he will be on the depth charts when camp opens. The team could also add another offensive linemen late, and anyone who can get down the field on kickoff coverage and make a play. Get the big blue jerseys and hats on, draft weekend is almost here, and its something to look forward to during this dark NFL situation.

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.