New York Giants NFL Team Column
| 22 April 2008 |
Get Ready for a Long Wait
The G-Men will have 8 picks in the first 6 rounds of the 2008 NFL Draft. General Manager Jerry Reese will once again attempt to turn hours and hours of preparation into the possible backbone for future Championship runs. One thing that Giants fans can expect out of Reese come Draft Day, that he will select the best available player on the board.
Certainly the Giants lost a few key pieces to their Super Bowl personnel puzzle; two large pieces in fact. The first piece was Gibril Wilson the starting free safety, he showed down the stretch that he was a big time NFL player. After winning the Super Bowl he was compensated by the Oakland Raiders as one of the best players at his position. Is
The Giants lost two linebackers one starter and one reserve: Kawika Mitchell went where the money spoke to him. And
Reggie Torbor left for a starting gig with the worst team in the NFL last year, the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins will most likely institute a 3-4 defense; it will suit Torbor better than the Giants 4-3.
Putting the pieces back together didnʼt come with a flash of over hyped players. Reese avoided most big name free agents. He signed Sammy Knight to come fill the void left by
The Giants have some in house help when it comes to the departure of Kawika Mitchell; Gerris Wilkerson has shown some glimpses of being a starting linebacker in the NFL. He could be a nice replacement. However expect to see the Giants draft a linebacker in the draft possibly in the first round. The G-Men would like a linebacker with the skills to play both inside and outside if needed. First round possibility: Jerod Mayo, Dan Conner. Second round targets: Erin Henderson, Curtis Lofton.
Now that the two key positions that the Giants will look to address come draft day are spoken for, what else will Jerry Reese have to consider?
Michael Strahan may retire; this would affect the pass rush immensely. The question would then be to either move Mathis Kiwanuka back to defensive end from strong side linebacker or move Justin Tuck into an every down starting defensive end. Tuck was rotated into the defensive line brilliantly last year, and he had a fantastic season to show for it. If Tuck is moved the Giants will look hard at a defensive tackle, because Tuck played much of his time at tackle last year. If the Kiwanuka project at linebacker is aborted, look for the G-Men to dip in the linebacker pool early and often.
The Jeremy Shockey sweepstakes will soon come to an end. Will the all-pro tight end remain in
Amani Toomer is about done with his NFL career and the Giants will look at some wide receivers in this draft class. Steve Smith proved last year that he is a viable number two option, but the lack of emergence of Sinorce Moss leaves the Giants with no options for slot receiver. One could make a case for David Tyree, but he only had 5 catches all of last season, it is still to be seen how much he will contribute on offense this coming year. Appalachian State wide receiver Dexter Jackson could be a nice addition.
Madison and McQuarters are aging like fine wine, well not that fine. They are both in their 30ʼs and are not the same players they once were. The giants would love to grab another top corner to pair up with Aaron Ross on the outsides. This could possibly allow Webster to move to the free safety position.
Offensively Line the big ugly guys upfront played great last year. But there are some age issues and after a few injury scares there is always a need for a good versatile backup lineman. Look for the giants to target a lineman that will play the tackle/guard position or the guard/center position as some extra insurance.
After waiting 7 ½ hours from the start of the draft, the time has finally come and the New York Giants are on the clock and with the 31st overall pick the Giants select: Kenny Phillips or Jerod Mayo depending on who is still on the board.
| 15 March 2008 |
The Giants Make a Move
Jerry Reese broke out the pen and inked up a few deals. The biggest signing was getting Derrick Ward back in the jumbled backfield. Injuries are an ever present part of the NFL especially with running backs; couple that with Jacobs injury history from this past season Reese decided to take out an insurance policy. I’m excited to see the competition during training camp between all three of the Giants running backs (Jacobs, Bradshaw, and Ward).
The Giants also brought in the services of 12 year veteran Sammy Knight, I’m not quite sure the G-men needed another 30 something year old defensive back. But that’s why I’m not the general manager of the New York Football Giants. He will at the very least help in the development of Michael Johnson at the safety position. This will fill the void, temporarily, left by former safety Gibril Wilson.
The G-men seem to think that the Hefty-Lefty (Jarrod Lorenzen) needed some competition for calling in the plays to Eli Manning. So they went out and picked up a former 1st round pick, David Carr, actually Carr was drafted number 1 overall out of
The low-key signing thus far is Danny Clark, originally drafted by none other than Tom Coughlin while in
This is the type of free agency moves Giants fans will learn to expect from General Manager Jerry Reese. He won’t throw big money around for non superstar players; which was the case for most of the free agent signings so far. Reese makes most improvements to the team via the draft, look at his success rate last year, it was phenomenal.
| 2 March 2008 |
G-Men Lose Three
Now that free agency is in full swing, 3 starters from the Super Bowl are now off to new teams. Gibril Wilson signed with the Oakland Raiders to the tune of 6 year 39 million dollars. Kawika Mitchell left for
The Giants now have some holes to fill at linebacker and safety; they possibly have guys in-house that can fill the void left by the departed players. Zak DeOssie and Gerris Wilkinson are both possibilities to compete for the starting OLB that was once occupied by Mitchell. Hopefully Mathias Kiwanuka comes back strong from his injury this season and retains his starting role as one of the G-Men’s outside linebackers.
Don’t be surprised if the Giants sign a LB free agent that isn’t a big name, they need to add some depth at the very least. The safety free agent class isn’t anything great either; especially now that the better safety have inked deals with new teams, there are only a handful of guys out there that would be a step up from Johnson who is already on the team. I would be surprised by the G-Men signing a free agent safety.
The G-Men can also look now to the draft to have either immediate or eventual replacements for these positions. If Keith Rivers LB from USC drops to the 31st pick in the draft I doubt that Jerry Reese hesitates at all with his first round pick. This is a guy who plays sideline to sideline and is exactly the kind of OLB the Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo would love. Another possibility is Kenny Phillips from the U (
| 24 February 2008 |
Life After Super Bowl XLII
The celebrating has finally died down. "We stomped you out" chants are all but a whisper now. Three weeks removed from one of the most spectacular 4th quarters in Super Bowl history; I'm still trying to figure out exactly how Eli Manning avoided the Patriots rush, and better yet how David Tyree caught that pass against his helmet while being tackled by Rodney Harrison. WOW! Is all I have to say; well I think it was more along the lines of a few four letter exclamations until Tyree came down with the catch. I am still trying to get my voice back.
The NFL combines are up and running; quite literally. Coach Coughlin with his new contract in hand is up in Indy evaluating talent for the 2008 draft. Hopefully this years draft proves to be as fruitful as the class of 07 was for the G-Men. Out of the 8 players the Giants drafted last year 7 of them not only played in the superbowl they had significant rolls in the Giants overall success this past season.
What will the G-Men look for with their 31st overall pick? A one word answer is: Value. The Giants may not have any glaring needs on either side of the ball. Yes they do need to resign Gibril Wilson or they will need a free safety via free agency or early in the draft. Big Blue will most likely look to bolster their defense for next season. There are a few key free agents on that side of the ball with the aforementioned Wilson and Kawika Mitchell; if either of these guys is not resigned, the giants will have to look for immediate replacements. The Giants could also look to get younger in the secondary Sam Madison (33) and RW McQuarters (31) are not getting any younger and they are past their prime. McQuarters also could get cut to free up some cap space. The offensive line could use some what of a youth movement as well, not someone to start right away but a young versatile player who can play a combination of tackle/guard or guard/center. The G-Men had a few scares this year with injuries to O-Linemen.
Look for them to address this concern later on in the draft. The tackle position is very deep this year in terms of talent so the Giants could try to steal one of these guys on day 1 of the draft if they slip too far. Don’t be surprised if the Giants use their first pick on an offensive lineman.
Derrick Ward is set to be a restricted free agent, expect him to get a lot of interest from teams needing a legit running back. It seems like Jerry Reese does not want to let him get away, but at the same time the Giants have a reliable 1-2 combination with Jacobs and Bradshaw, they can address a backup via the draft. I like Ward, but I also like the tandem of Jacobs and Bradshaw, furthermore Bradshaw earned his keep in the playoffs, give him a complimentary roll based on one of his runs against the Patriots in the super bowl, where he pushed big Vince Wilfork 5 yards back after the point of contact. I love his style of running.
There is a very tantalizing rumor floating around about the Giants acquiring DeAngelo Hall from the Atlanta Falcons for their 1st and 5th round picks in this draft. Hall would potentially give the G-Men two shut-down corners when paired with Aaron Ross, this would allow for more pressure on opposing QB's, even more than this year. The down side however, along with the loss of draft picks would be Hall's attitude; think back to that Carolina Panthers game where he was penalized 3 times for over 60 yards, basically handing the Panthers a victory in the process. I'm not sure if this deal will actually get done or not, it looks like the Redskins and Cowboys are the front runners for DeAngelo's services at the moment.
Kawika Mitchell will most likely test the free agency market. He was signed last year for a one year,1 million dollar contract. After adding a super bowl victory to his resume, Mitchell will probably look to get paid this off-season. Don't expect Jerry Reese to shell out big money to retain Mitchell. Look for the G-Men to fill this hole with their 1st round pick, if not then definitely in the 2nd round.
Here is a look at what to expect come draft day:
Rounds 1 - 3: LB, CB or Safety possibly O-Line if there is enough value.
G-Men will most likely have a need for LB and Safety if Wilson and Mitchell are not resigned or other free agent options are over priced. The Giants don't have an imediate need for a corner but they do need to start the youth movement, Madison and McQuarters are dinosaurs for their position.
Rounds 4-6: O-Line, RB, WR
None of their positions has glaring needs for this upcoming year, but depth in the NFL is a necessity. And a little bit of youth at the O-line will go a long way in the future. RB could be a need with Jacobs straight up running style he tends to be injury prone. Two RB's that can be had in the 4th round or later are T.Choice out of Georgia Tech and Kevin Smith out of
Next update: when the free agent market heats up.
| 16 January 2008 |
Third Times a Charm – In Dallas
G-Men continue to roll against divisional foe. The Giants got off to a fast start thanks to Amani Toomer breaking a few tackles and turning a 12 yard gain into a 52 yard touchdown catch. Then the Giants stopped the Cowboys on their first drive and looked poised to put more points on the board. But their drive stalled and Big Blue punted the ball away. Jeff Feagles pinned
Now the Cowboys had the ball again with the game tied at 7-7. They put together a 20 play drive that took 10 minutes and 28 seconds off the clock and ended with a Marion Barber touchdown. This touchdown drive could have been avoided had the supposedly sure handed Corey Webster not dropped a gift of an interception. He must have been caught off guard because the pass was practically thrown to him after Terry Glenn fell running his route. But the pass was dropped allowing the Cowboys to finish off their scoring drive and taking a 14-7 lead. Leaving 53 seconds on the clock before half time; at this point I was sure that the Giants would run the ball and go into the half down 7 and prepare for the second half. To my surprise a determined Giants offense took the field and came out throwing the ball. It looked like the Giants would possibly be able to get the ball into field goal range just before the half. Then with 34 seconds left on the clock Eli completed a 12 yard pass to Steve Smith who was dragged down by his face mask, tacking on an additional 15 yards to the play. Four plays later Amani Toomer crossed the end zone for the second time in the game. Wow, Eli Manning looked more like his brother Peyton on the Giants 7 play 48 second drive to tie the game going into the half 14-14.
My emotions at this point of the game already felt like a rollercoaster. If the first half was any indication of what was to come in the second half I was in for one heck of a ride. And the second half did not disappoint.
The Giants defense did not look that great after the second quarter allowing 2 touchdowns on 2 possessions for the cowboys. So this was a cause for concern, the Giants could not stop Marion Barber or get adequate pressure on Tony Romo. This trend continued in the third quarter, Barber continued to shred the Giants front 7 and even when the pressure got to Romo there was no containment so he was able to pick up a few yards running the ball. The Cowboys drive to open the second half lasted 14 plays and took more than 8 minutes off the clock. The key moment of second half was when Patrick Crayton on 3rd & 14 dropped a sure first down that in all likelihood would have gone for a touchdown. That touchdown may have solidified a Cowboys win, putting them up by 10 points at the end of the 3rd quarter. Instead the Cowboys had to punt the ball back to
However, the Giants were relentless in their pursuit to give the game away to
At the end of the day the Cowboys and Romo simply could not get the job done. Not to take anything away from the performance of the Giants, but it seemed like at any moment the game was up for grabs at the Giants expense. Yet somehow a defense that was decimated at the secondary level was able to shut down a very explosive pass offense that had all of their weapons including Terry Glenn back from injury. Eli had another strong showing and managed the game very well. The Giants run game was effective against a good Cowboys defense. Big Blue’s defense played the bend but don’t break card. Also the Giants special teams played phenomenal. Most importantly the G-Men move on to face the Packers in the NFC Championship at Lambeau Field.
| 8 January 2008 |
Don’t Wake the Sleeping Giant
The first quarter of play yesterday was about as painful to watch as a prostate exam. The Buccaneers were sticking it to the Giants. The Giants on offense could not get anything going, nothing at all; they had three, 3 and outs to start the game. That equated to a grand total of -2 total yards in the first quarter. The Bucs defense came out swarming the football and the offense featured a heavy does of Earnest Graham; it looked like the Giants would continue their early bow from playoff contention for the third year in a row.
Then just about the time the stat flashed on the screen, not since the 2001 Ravens had a team started off a playoff game so poorly offensively, the Giants began their first drive of the 2nd quarter and Eli completed a 17 yard pass to his security blanket otherwise known as Amani Toomer. This is about the point when Giants fans saw their team resemble the same team that played just a week ago.
Eli carried the Giants back in the second quarter; he led the team to 2 touchdown drives in the quarter. Completing 9 of 10 passes for 98 yards during a pivotal time in the game allowing the Giants to take a 14-7 lead. The Giants had to use their passing game in order to establish the running game. A little backward approach, but whatever gets the job done. Because the G-Men had to rely so heavily on the arm of Eli in this game, it will give the team an increased confidence level for their next game. The Giants travel to the despised home of ‘
Big props go out to Steve Spagnuolo’s defense; they put pressure in the face on Garcia all day, made tackles, played great coverage especially on Joey Galloway, and came up with some turnovers when opportunities arose. The defense easily could have packed it in when the offense struggled mightily in the first quarter, but the defense fought even harder to keep it close and allow the offense to get things back on track. The D played a tough game for a full 60 minutes.