Strahan Wants $8 Million To Play, Wynn Visits


...posted by Gary Grund...

In the New York Daily News, Giants defensive end Michael Strahan is hoping for $8 million from the Giants in what would be his final season. That would double his 2007 salary.
Michael Strahan
Giants officials have told Strahan in March that they will take care of him financially, but specifics were not discussed.

The $8 million number that comes from Strahan is a result of Jason Taylor, whose salary is also $8 million, but is also three years younger than Strahan. The stat numbers are not that far off, with both just under 60 tackles, though Taylor had two more sacks and three more forced fumbles.

During a charity even in Manhattan on Wednesday Night, Strahan stated that money is not an issue as he could retire and still head into the field of broadcasting.

I think the Giants are ready to move on without Strahan and are prepared to, if he does walk away. If he stays with the team, it remains just a bonus to the defense.

Vacchiano also notes that the Giants recently visited veteran defensive end Renaldo Wynn, who was a first-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1997 under the coaching of current Giants head coach Tom Coughlin.

Wynn, 33, spent last season with the New Orleans Saints, playing in 12 games, recording 3.5 sacks. Over his 11-year career, Wynn has also played for the Redskins and Jaguars, tallying up 25 sacks throughout his career.

Madden 2009 Demo


...posted by Peter Wade...

Madden NFL 2009 due out in August. This Demo features the Giants vs the Pats.

If the gameplay is this smooth it should be a nice improvement over last years version.

Hat tip to Kissing Suzy Kolber for video.

Video Interview With David Tyree


...posted by Peter Wade...

David Tyree talks to Giants.com about his off-season, his injured knee and his past personal issues that he’s had to worked through including the death of his mother. Watch the video to hear David talk about many more subjects.

Click on the pic to watch the interview.

Hat tip to Big Blue Interactive for making us aware of the interview.

Brady Respects Big Blue


...posted by Peter Wade...

In a recent interview with The Big Show on Sports Radio 850 WEEI Radio that I read about on Projo.com N.E. QB Tom Brady has respect for only one team from NY and that team is the NY Giants. Brady said:

“It was really a great game,”…I wish we would’ve played better at certain times, but [the Giants] made the plays and they deserved it… “And I have a lot of respect for that team because they work hard, and they have a lot of great leaders on that team. It’s kind of a blue-collar team. When you do lose a game, you at least want to lose to guys you respect. And I certainly respect those guys. I don’t respect everybody, but I do respect the Giants.”

The team Brady doesn’t respect is the Jets, I think it’s obvious that Brady’s feelings about the Jets are all about Spygate which Brady speaks at length about here. He also adds the following about the Super Bowl Loss:

“It was numbing… “Just before [halftime], on the strip sack, Randy Moss was behind the defense,” he recalled, “but we just weren’t able to find him in time. That should have been a touchdown….[The Giants had] a great defense … and one of the best defensive lines in football. We finally scored there at the end and they just had a miraculous drive at the end to score on our defense.”

For more on what Brady had to say check out the article or listen to the interview at WEEI.com.

Giants To Get Rings On May 29th, Strahan Update


...posted by Gary Grund...

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reports that Giants defensive end Michael Strahan has made a decision on whether or not he will play in 2008, but he is not ready to make it public.
Michael Strahan
Strahan on his decision…

“I’ll be honest with you, I pretty much know what I’m going to do right now. But you know what the thing is? If I say it, I can’t change my mind. So I would rather wait until I know I’m 100 percent sure that when I say what I’m going to do, I’m going to do it. Because if I say I’m retired, then I’m not going to come back the next day. If I’ve graduated from football, I won’t come back the same day in the Masters’ program. And if I say I’m going to play again then I know I’m committed to playing. So I know what I want to do. I just want to make sure that its 100 percent what I want to do, because either way it’s a heck of a commitment.”

Super Bowl Champions Hat
Vacchiano also notes that the Giants players, executives and any other team personnel will receive their Super Bowl rings in a private ceremony on May 29th. More than 200 rings will be given out, 53 players, plus practice squad players, scouts, coaches, front office staff, medical staff, equipment staff, etc.

There Can Only Be One: Eli and Peyton Manning


...posted by Peter Wade...

Spoof on the NBA ad campaign “There can only be one”. This one features Eli and Peyton Manning. Cnbc’s Sports Biz.com has some more videos and writes a little about the creators of these spoofs.

News And Notes


...posted by Peter Wade...

According to Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News QB Andre Woodson who the Giants took in the sixth round of ths years NFL Draft thought he would be a much higher pick. Wodson said:

“It was kind of tough to swallow as the draft was going on… “As it went past the third round, fourth round, I still couldn’t believe I hadn’t been taken off the board yet. You know, those types of things happen. Unfortunately it happened to me. But I’m just going to be very positive about it and try to be a better quarterback so maybe possibly down the road I’ll get an opportunity to get back on the field.”

Tom Rock of Newsday’s Inside the Giants has a list of the non drafted free agents the Giants signed including their bios.

Mike Garafolo of the Star Ledger tells us about the relationship fellow Miami Hurricanes and now Giants S Kenny Phillips has with Ravens S Ed Reed and Patriots S Brandon Meriweather. They all come out of a program that seems to specialize in producing top Safeties.

When the Giants selected Kenny Phillips with the 31st overall pick last month, Phillips became the fourth Hurricanes safety to be drafted in the first round since Reed was picked 24th overall by the Ravens in 2002. He joined Meriweather (also 24th overall by the Patriots last year) and the late Sean Taylor (the fifth pick by the Redskins in 2004).

Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is trying to down play expectations for the rookie because some are comparing Phillips to Brian Dawkins:

“Brian Dawkins is a special guy. You are talking about a guy coming out of college,” Spagnuolo said. “I mean, we’re getting a little bit ahead of ourselves.”

SNY Video : Giants at Rookie Camp


...posted by Anthony De Rosa...


Eli Went To Disneyland


...posted by Peter Wade...

On Wednesday Eli Manning and his wife Abby paraded down Disneyland’s Main Street. After the parade, Manning posed with the Tustin Pop Warner players for a team picture and then answered some questions from the kids and their coaches…

Video via Deadspin

Pair Of Rookies Injured In Camp


...posted by Gary Grund...

Giants third-round wide receiver Mario Manningham and sixth-round quarterback Andre Woodson were both sidelined by injuries during Saturday’s minicamp for rookies and undrafted free agents.

Manningham suffered a hip flexor on his left side running a pull-up pattern early in the morning workout while Woodson pulled a quad muscle in his left leg not long after. Woodson’s injury took place while scrambling to the left during an 11-on-11 drill.

Manningham did state that it wasn’t a serious injury.

The Giants seem to have some bad luck with those second and third round receivers when it comes to injuries. 2006 second-round pick Sinorice Moss has been injury plagued throughout his brief career, while last year’s second-round pick Steve Smith was bothered by shoulder and hamstring injuries throughout his rookie season.