Matt Mosley of ESPN.com thinks that Eli Manning deserves to break the fifty million dollar guaranteed money barrier saying, “quarterback is the most valuable position on the field, I think Manning has a case for becoming our first $50 million (guaranteed) quarterback.”

Mosley also said in his report that a respected Giants official told him this morning “There’s no way this thing becomes contentious. Something will probably get done before the season, and everyone will move on.”

You can’t help but wonder why a contract hasn’t been ironed out yet. GM Jerry Reese said he wanted to get it done in the Spring but that did not happen. Lets hope the schematics get dealt with before the season starts, I’d hate for there to be any bad blood between Eli and Big Blue.

(yes i noticed the alliteration towards the end of that sentence)

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There’s an interesting article on FoxSports.com that ranks the top ten rivalries in football. Interestingly enough, the Giants find themselves on the list twice.

Big blue finds themselves ranked 6th with the Cowboys and 3rd with the Eagles.

Is it safe to say that we are bigger rivals with the Eagles than with the Cowboys? Yes, geographically, they are much closer and in terms of fan-to-fan relationships, there’s definitely a bit more trash talk, however I’m curious to know what the team thinks about this.

Also, very interestingly the Eagles are also ranked as the number one fan base in the NFL. The Giants are not ranked in this category. (not cool)

In another article courtesy of Foxsports, they list the “All-undrafted team.” Starting at ILB, Antonio Pierce.

From now until training camp, I will be doing previews for each position, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. I figured I’d start with the most important one, Quarterbacks.

Heading into training camp the depth chart at QB looks like this

1. Eli Manning

2. David Carr

3. Andre’ Woodson

3a. Rhett Bomar

Its pretty clear that both Eli and Carr have their roles on the teams locked up at 1st and 2nd string quarterback. Where it gets interesting is the 3rd string quarterback job, which is what looks like to be up for grabs.

Both Bomar and Woodson impressed in OTA’s. Heading into training camp, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. It’s pretty safe to say that the job is Woodson’s to lose, seeing as Bomar is a rookie and Woodson has been with the team for over a year now.

Let’s not forget that Bomar did play for Big 12 powerhouse Oklahoma before getting into trouble with and being expelled from the school.

For Sam Houston St., Bomar played well. He was one of only eleven players in NCAA football history to throw for over 300 yards and rush for over 100 yards in a single game. He was also selected as a finalist for the Walter Payton award which is given to the top player of an NCAA subdivision.

As for Eli and Carr, it should be business as usual coming into training camp. Carr is a very capable second string QB, and Eli…well is Eli. With him being in his contract year, look for him to come out and play very strong in training camp and the regular season.

Bottom Line: Quarterback does not look like something the Giants need to worry about. Two solid veterans, two young guns with a lot of potential…kind of exciting.

4th round pick Andre Brown out of North Carolina State officially signed on with the Giants yesterday making him the sixth of nine draft picks to receive a contract.

Brown showed good play making abilities out of the backfield in college rushing for 767 yards and starting all 13 games.

As well as run, Brown also showed he can catch the ball out of the backfield, accumulating 29 receptions for 309 yards during the ‘08 season.

Brandon Jacobs only caught six passes during the whole 2008 season and is not particularly known for his receiving. Brown could come in and make an immediate impact as a backfield receiver for screens and dump-offs.

What you know: Hakeem Nicks was the 29th player drafted in the and the 5th overall receiver taken. He played three seasons at the University of North Carolina and was a first team all-ACC in his Junior year.

Nicks is a durable receiver who possesses above average strength and pass catching ability.

Not the fastest receiver in the rookie crop, recording a 4.63 forty.

He’s listed at 6′1 210 lbs.

What you may not have known: in high school, Nicks played for Independence and did not lose a game throughout his tenure. In the 4-AA state championship game, Nicks won MVP honors, reeling in eight catches for 205 yards and two TDs.

Nicks is the first Tar Heel since Julius Peppers in 2001 to declare for the NFL draft after his junior season. He set 14 school records for North Carolina including receptions (181), receiving yards (2,580), and touchdowns with 21. Also, he became UNC’s first ever 1,000 yard receiver.

Yes, I know UNC is not the most established school in regards to college football legacies…but still very impressive.

The wide receiver ranked 10th in college football in yards per reception last season at 18.8. interestingly, the nine above him all had less yards and as much as 41 less receptions. (see Tim Brown from Rutgers)

He has the second biggest hands of all the wide receivers according to The Sporting News.

Bottom line, Nicks is the type of guy that you know what your getting. He’s a fairly big receiver with good hands and good body control. Down the line, Nicks could turn out to be a very reliable target for Eli, both down the field and in the red zone.

In cased you missed it, here’s a clip of one of the best catches I’ve ever seen, courtesy of our very own New York Giant, Hakeem Nicks:

In an article on CBSsports.com, Pete Prisco ranks the top fifty NFL players for the 2009 season.

Two giants make an appearance in the top 50, one being Chris Snee at 41 and the other being Justin Tuck at 50.

I never liked rankings and lists like this one. How can you compare an offensive tackle to a safety? it just doesn’t make any sense. It’s one thing if its ranking the players in terms of fantasy value, but there really is no scientific way of determining whether or not Chris Snee is a better ‘football’ player than a Darrelle Revis or a Donovan McNabb.

In Priscoe’s positional rankings, he has Snee as the third best OG and Tuck as the fifth best DE.

FoxSports.com has ranked the top running back groupings in the NFL and has the Giants ranked fifth.

A bit surprising to see the Giants ranked so high in this seeing as they just lost one of the best 2nd string RBs in the league in Derrick Ward.

I like Ahmad Bradshaw a lot (as does every Giant fan) and I think he can definitely step in and pick up where Ward left off. The real question has to be in the depth behind him. Danny Ware has two total rushing attempts in his career and Andre Brown (who just signed by the way) is a rookie.

In a report from Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, Eli Manning says he’s “ready to lead.”

Speaking about Manning, GM Jerry Reese said “”We’re going to put more of the onus on him.”

Jerry is referring to the fact that this year, Manning is the veteran on this offense, more so than in years past. He has a young core of receivers that will be depending on his leadership and toughness throughout the season.

It’s a good sign to see Eli wanting to take on a leadership role…frankly its about time.

I know he already has a super bowl ring and has definitely proven himself as an NFL quarterback, but if he can come out this year, with an unproven set of receivers, and be successful, it would really put a stamp on Eli Manning’s reputation.

And don’t forget that as of now, it’s a contract year for the 28-year old.

November 29:  Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in leg at a night club in New York

December 1: Burress is charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

December 2: Giants place Burress on non football injured list marking the last day we will ever see Plaxico Burress in a Giants uniform.

March 31: Court case adjourned until June 15

April 3: Giants officially release Plaxico Burress

June 15: Court case adjourned again until Septermber 23.

Same day,  agent Drew Rosenhaus tweets “Now that the legal process is on hold, we are hoping to have a deal in place with a team for Plax before training camps start.”

June 26: Commissioner Roger Goodell notified the receiver that he will be reviewing the incidents involving Burress under the personal conduct policy.

Sources say that the commissioner is leaning towards suspending Plaxico indefinitely as well as QB Michael Vick and WR Donte’ Stallworth.

There is still no final decision on what the commissioner will do with Burress and the others. If the verdict is not in Plax’s favor, expect some defiance from him and his lawyers.

As much as Burress wants to play this season, most of the possible suitors for him are backing out. Tampa Bay, Chicago, and the Jets have all but said they do not want any part of the disgruntled receiver.

Agent Rosenhaus says that there are two other teams in contact but there is no inclination as to who they are.

When former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo decided to take his presence elsewhere and take his coaching to St. Louis, the Giants did not panic. Instead, they hired from within, promoting linebackers coach Bill Sheridan to defensive coordinator.

Sheridan has been in the Giants system since 2005, but the extent of his football experience spans much longer than that. Since 1981, Sheridan has coached on the defensive side of the ball, extensively in college for teams such as Michigan State, Michigan, Army, Cincinnati, and Notre Dame.

Its been a bit of a rocky road for Sheridan since 2005 in regards to the linebackers for the giants…but in a good way. Every year he has dealt with different adversities that caused him to adjust. He did so accordingly and has kept this group of linebackers as one of the better ones during his tenure.

2006: Saw a slew of injuries to players Brandon Short, LaVar Arrington, and Carlos Emmons. Resulted in Antonio Pierce stepping up to be the pro-bowl middle linebacker he is today.

2007: Was instrumental in converting Mathias Kiwanuka from DE to outside OLB where he played very well, recording 47 tackles and 4.5 sacks before getting injured.

2008: Even more tumult arised when Osi Umenyiora went down for the season and took Mathias Kiwanuka away from the linebacking core. Instead, Danny Clark played the OLB position as the Giants ended the season 5th in the league in total defense. Sheridan was also a key component of helping ILB Chase Blackburn convert to the outside and be successful.

Sheridan seems to be the right guy for the job. He knows the players, he knows the system, and he’s been successful with both. This season, he has already been handed the task of dealing with some injuries as Michael Boley, Fred Robbins, and Barry Cofield among others are dealing with injuries that could be nagging come the season opener.

I don’t see any reason why this Giant defense should take a hit in terms of production from this year to last. Spagnuolo was a great coordinator, but Sheridan seems to be up to the task.