Monthly Archives: May 2008
SNY Sportsnite covers the
Giants Super Bowl Championship Ring Ceremony
Position coach, Dave Merritt had high praise for rookie safety and first round Giants draft pick Kenny Phillips in Newsday, but isn’t yet ready to declare him the starter.
“This kid, in the classroom, has shown unbelievable recall for the defense,” Merritt said. “We put in things back early in the (rookie) minicamp and he’s able to recall it here it is a week or two later. I’m very excited about that.
“As far as his God-given ability mentally, this kid is very good.”
Merritt said he still needs work on routes and his angles, but overall he looked great.
James Butler is the starting strong safety and Michael Johnson is the starter at free safety for now, said Merritt but that could change as they learn playing their positions at the NFL level.
The Giants discuss the upcoming season, and about moving on after winning the Super Bowl.
Recently, I spoke to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News regarding the 2008 NFL Draft. Ralph and I discuss 
the Giants draft as well as some other teams.
Jared Blank, GiantsFootballBlog: What was your take on the Giants drafting S Kenny Phillips in the first round?
Ralph Vacchiano: I thought it was a great pick — and not just because I predicted it. The truth is, we all knew they were targeting him for quite a while, and it always made a lot of sense. He was the best safety on the board and anytime you can get the best guy at one position with the 31st pick in the draft, it’s a great move. Plus, when is the last time the Giants had a top safety? Gibril Wilson never really lived up to what he showed as a rookie. Before that … Shaun Williams? He never really lived up to expectations either. Now think of what Brian Dawkins did in Philly’s defense all those years. That’s what Steve Spagnuolo envisions with Phillips.
JB: Was taking WR Mario Manningham a worthy risk in the third round? What, if anything, have you heard from around the league with all the negative’s regarding him?
RV: Yes, he was worth the risk. It is absolutely a risk, but it’s one the Super Bowl champs can afford to make. If he doesn’t work out, it’s not like the miss will ruin the team or one bad guy will ruin their chemistry. Plus, they have enough veterans in there that they might set him straight. And if he does work out, boy did they get a steal. He’s a first-round talent with the last pick of the third? You can’t pass up value like that in the draft.
Now, I did hear that many other teams had him off their board entirely. I haven’t heard good things about him and his character from people I know in and around the Michigan program either. A lot of people thought the way he lied at the combine about his failed drug tests was a big warning side. Either he was too stupid to know that the people asking him already knew the truth, or worse — he didn’t care. Whatever, it scared a lot of teams off. And so did what I’ve heard were not exactly all-positive recommendations from his old coaches.
Still, while I don’t want to diminish what he did off the field, this isn’t Pacman Jones we’re talking about. Or Christian Peter, for that matter. Guys have made it in the NFL with a lot worse and more offensive problems than Manningham had.
Tomorrow night, Lawrence Tynes will be signing autographs at the Dunkin’ Donuts in Midland Park to help raise money for the Midland Park Public Education Foundation. The Midland Park Public Education Foundation is an all-volunteer not-for-profit foundation that enhances and supports new curriculum initiatives and enrichment opportunities within Midland Park’s school system.
The Dunkin Donuts is on 80 Godwin Avenue and Lawrence will be signing from 6:30 to 9:30pm.
Scott Ferrall, Brandon Tierney and host Brian Custer on SNY’s “The Wheelhouse” discuss Jeremy Shockey‘s future as a New York Giant and what he is worth on the trade market.
The Wheelhouse airs weekdays at 5:30 p.m. on SNY.
I spoke with Bo Bounds of WSFZ Supersport 930 in Jackson, Misssissippi this morning about Eli Manning, who grew up not far from Jackson, and the Giants.
You may be able to catch my segment on their website later today, I will let you know if they post it.
Peter King at SI.com ranks the NFL teams in light of their draft decisions. The Giants get little respect as King ranks them at 6th, after New England, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Dallas, and San Diego.
Of the Giants he writes,
Eli Manning had a charmed postseason, but he’s got to be more accurate than 56.1 percent for the Giants to be better than 14th in scoring offense, which they were a year ago. The encouraging thing about Manning is that the day after the Super Bowl, he was already talking about the things he needed to do to get better. Smart, because he knows he has to be more consistent to be a top quarterback. This should be a maturing offensive team and a threatening team on D.
Thats what I took away from Eli this offseason as well. He quickly acknowledged that there was much work to do, and understood that the Giants were lucky in many respects and need to improve in a few areas. He even acknowledged his own shortcomings and what he planned to do to improve them.
It is a great sign and shows how much Eli has matured over the few short years he has started here. There is no doubt that the Super Bowl experience has given him a jolt of confidence and air of respect that he lacked from those who doubted him for so long.
Hat tip to Gary Grund for the link.
← Older posts
