As the new year closes in I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at some old Giants and see where they are now.

Jeremy Shockey- A lightning rod in New York he proved to be the same in New Orleans. When not fighting with Drew Brees, Shockey managed to catch 50 balls for 483 yards with 0 touchdowns. The numbers aren’t bad but it’s clear Shockey can be a distraction. As a first round pick he certainly has put up solid numbers but never lived up to the extreme hype that was placed on him, perhaps unfairly. This good ol’ boy is better served away from the NY media. A 2nd and 5th round choice seems to be a great deal, especially with Kevin Boss coming along nicely. Advantage Reese.

Gibril Wilson  –   Bottom line, he took the money and ran back to his hometown. Nothing wrong with that but Reese was smart enough to know when to put the wallet away. Gibril is the third highest paid safety in the league and that’s a good sign that Al Davis has completely lost his mind. Gibril has put up nice stats in Oakland with 122 tackles and two interceptions, but his talents are wasted on team romparoom . With the drafting of Kenny Phillips the Giants once again had the depth to incur this loss. Advantage Reese.

Kawika Mitchell – Mitchell also took the money and ran, this time to Buffalo, and again you can’t blame him in this violent sport. Nothing about Mitchell’s game stands out (except his hair), his stats aren’t special (78 tackles 2 interceptions, 4 sacks)  but he seems to make all the right plays when it matters. The Giants are not deep at LB and Gerris Wilkinson did not turn into the player they expected. The Giants are better off when their backers are off the field and Michael Johnson is playing the LB spot in the nickel. The current Giants don’t rely on linebackers like they once did, therefore this one is a push. Advantage push.

Will Allen – This was an Accorsi decision but one worth looking at considering he was a first round pick. Allen showed promise as a cover corner but as a Giant his hands seemed to be painfully slippery. During the Panthers game I received this text after Aaron Ross and Kevin Dockery dropped sure interceptions “looks like we have a case of the wills.” It seemed like every time Allen had a ball thrown his way he would not only drop it but find a way to tip it into an opponents hands. Allen has recovered nicely in Miami and become a very good cover corner but his hands continue to fail him as he has only 5 picks in the last 3 years. With Aaron Ross and Corey Webster on the scene the Giants have strengthened the position Advantage Accorsi/ or is this a disadvantage because he drafted him?

Jay Feely – Jay had a nice kicking percentage as a giant in 2005 and 2006 and then an even better one in Miami the following year. He has done a nice job filling in for injured place kicker Mike Nugent as a Jet, but all Giants fans will remember him for missing 3 field goals in Seattle. I think Lawrence Tynes was on the verge of becoming the next Feely until he made the greatest 47 yard kick in NFL history in Green Bay (I take it back, 2nd  greatest 47 yard kick right behind Norwoods 47 yard miss). Feely’s attitude was also questioned in New York which seemed to be backed up this year when Herm Edwards called Feely in at the beginning of the year and cut him after one day as a chief. Advantage push

Will Peterson/James – As a third round pick many people believed he was the better of the two Will’s. Those people turned out to be wrong. Peterson who later changed his name to James (so as not to be confused with Norm Peterson of cheers, sorry, only famous peterson I could remember) lost his Giants career to a back injury which caused him to miss much of 2005. It was a no brainer for Accorsi to let his former 3rd rounder go, and since then James has bounced from the Eagles to the Jaguars playing in limited fashion as a nickel corner. Advantage nobody.

Reggi Torbor- This is Miami’s sequel to the  Scott Galyon project, which also failed miserably. Unfortunately Reggie is the classic Larry Brown example. A guy taken off a Superbowl team, overpaid, and not living up to the hype. Through 15 games Torbor has 16 tackles and .5 sacks. No Reggie isn’t being paid a lot but anything is overpaid for 16 tackles. Advantage Reese.

Cornelius Griffin – When the Giants let Griffin go I thought they had made a mistake. Griffin is a big time clogger in the middle and is stout against the run. The extremely cheap addition of big Fred Robbins not only counteracted the loss but improved the position as well. Griffin is no slouch and has been the starting tackle for the Redskins the last 4 years. While his numbers aren’t gaudy (what tackles are?) he continues to be a solid defensive player, still with a bigger contract and the effectiveness of his replacement this is  Advantage Accorsi.

Some non active  players who I always rooted for as former Giants;

 Joe Jurevicous, who has vowed not to retire, has amassed 221 catches since leaving the Gmen.

Easy Ed Mcaffrey  (you can’t have two easy’s on one team I suppose) Ed went on to make a pro bowl appearance as a Bronco, catch 101 balls in one year, and win 3 Superbowls. He also goes down as the the guy most likely to be on ESPN’S primetime for getting lit up like a Christmas tree. No one got hit harder over his career then Ed, I now give this title to Dallas Clark who seems to be a punching bag for safeties across the league.

Just a small glimpse at some former Giants - Advantage – 2007/08 Superbowl Champs!