Monthly Archives: March 2009
The NFL has announced the Giants have been awarded the 36th pick of the third round (No. 100 overall).
Compensatory picks are based on a formula that calculates “salary, playing time and postseason honors” of the players a team lost in free agency against those that were signed. The Giants lost lost S Gibril Wilson, LB Kawika Mitchell and LB Reggie Torbor last year and signed only LB Danny Clark and S Sammy Knight.
Hat tip to Steve for the news.
The Giants will travel to Denver to take on the Broncos on November 26, Thanksgiving night. NFL Network will televise the game nationally, which is set to start at 8:20 ET.
I’m hoping/ assuming the game will be televised locally by NBC, although that information is not yet known.
Ralph Vacchiano at the Daily News reports that according to “The Giant Insider” the Giants asked for Braylon Edwards and the Browns wanted Steve Smith in addition to some draft picks.
It was previously reported that the Browns wanted DE Mathias Kiwanuka. That story was later found to be untrue.
(According to ‘The Giant Insider,’) what really happened happened is that the Giants offered Cleveland the two draft picks they got in the Jeremy Shockey deal (a second and a fifth), and the Browns said they wanted those picks and Smith. The Giants said no to that, according to the story, but offered an alternative of the picks plus Domenik Hixon or Mario Manningham.
At that point the Browns walked away.
The New York Post disputes this report citing “someone familiar with the talks”, that while the Giants had discussions with the Browns, no Giants players were discussed.
According to Ralph Vachiano of the DailyNews the Giants have had private workouts with Florida WR Percy Harvin, Alabama G Marlon Davis, USC’s LB Clay Mathews and Penn State’s DE/LB Aaron Maybin.
So what does it all mean Basil? Not much. Private workouts are often a GM’s way of throwing up smokescreens to keep other teams off balance. In fact the Giants last two first round draft picks in 08 and 07, Kenny Phillips and Aaron Ross, did not receive private workouts (here is where the term respectively actually would have worked…eh I majored in alcohol). So I am reporting nothing…there it is…enjoy your nothing.
According to Matt Mosely at ESPN Osi Umenyiora missed Friday’s workouts and this is one excuse worth listening to. Osi joined a small group of NFL players, including Houston Texans DT Amobi Okoye who organized a trip to his native country of Nigeria to award 20 scholarships to 10 boys and 10 girls in order to attend university. The players are also bringing several nurses and doctors with them to provide free health-care.
My parents are from Zimbabwe and South Africa respectively and having visited those countries myself it is thrilling to know these players are helping their native countries. I just realized that has almost nothing to do with Nigeria, but still Good for you Osi…Good for you.
Tom Rock of Newsday takes a look at Giants new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. LB Danny 
Clark describes Sheridan as such; “One of the most intelligent football minds I’ve been around. I’m sure he’ll put his own spin on the defense we have in place and make us better. I don’t question his ability to take us to the next level. He’s an intelligent guy who really knows football, and he’ll put us in the best position to make plays.”
DE Justin Tuck had this to say “I know what type of guy he is and we’ll be OK. He has his own set of rules for doing things and it’s different from Coach Spags, but we’ll get used to it and once we do everything will be off and running.”
Tuck and Clark go on to say that Sheridan is less animated then Coach Spagnuolo, more analytical, more cognitive, and less of a rah-rah guy. Personally I love the rah-rah coaches, while it is not an indicator of how good a coach they will be, it seems a lot easier to love the coaches who can’t contain themselves. More importantly, it seems easier to hate the stoic coaches who “seem” not to care. Which is why I was always bothered when the NY media ripped coach Coughlin for his sideline histrionics. Personally I love seeing a coach lose it, or get overly excited, in fact my 2 favorite images of a coach is watching Lou Holtz and Bill Parcells grab players by their facemasks . I am not saying guys like Sheridan, Belichick or Joe Torre don’t care, but I prefer seeing it in their faces and bodies, probably because I care so much and find it impossible to can’t contain myself while watching.
So if it were up to you would you have a rah rah guy or a more anlaytical coach. I suppose all that matters is results, but for boring off-season sake just asnwer the question.
According to Tom Rock of Newsday one possible replacement for Plaxico Burress (if he does not return) could be Mario Manningham. During the Giants voluntary workouts Eli Manning was asked 
whom he thought would replace Plaxico, if could not return, and the first player out of his mouth was Mario.
Yes Manningham had only 4 catches for 26 yards his rookie season but he missed most of training camp and according to sources the Giant coaching staff believe this set him back a great deal. With a year under his belt, and a healthy training camp we may soon see what Mario can do. The last Michigan receiver to start off slow ended up being the best receiver in Giants history…so there’s that. I’m not saying Mario is the answer but we certainly have yet to see what he can do, and we may get a glimpse this year. With that said I will not write about another possible replacement for Plaxico until his court date on the 31st….unless of course Newsday/Ny Post/Daily News runs a new article on the “Sinorice Moss we have yet to see”, or the “Emerging Domineck Hixon” or “The Ever Elusive Steve Smith,” because after-all I too am addicted to Big Blue .
According to Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News the Giants are high on this years linebacker class, especially the kids coming out of USC. The Trojans expect to have four linebackers drafted, Ray Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, and Kaluka Maiava. The Giants strongest need is at strong side linebacker, assuming Michael Boleyslides in at weakside. The Giants are high on Bryan Kehl but he is still very young and raw. Meanwhile the combination of Zak DeOssie, Jonathan Goff, Danny Clark, Gerris Wilkinson and Chase Blackburn leaves a lot to be desired.
It’s impossible to figure out what the Gmen will do in the draft, what with extra picks and a legal issue pending, but there is no doubt receiver and linebacker will be two areas of need.
Figure you all might enjoy today’s Nooner, where Brittany gets her performance review. Check it out.
I know I need to work on my toddler like titles, but you have to understand your reading the post of a guy who just figured out that Sleepy’s slogan “for the rest of your life” is in fact a double entendre. Anyhoo, according to the Daily News Craig Dahl has been signed by the St Louis Rams, while Kay-Jay Harris was non tendered. It was originally believed that all 6 Giant restricted free agents were tendered but today it was revealed that only DE Dave Tollefson, TE Darcy Johnson, DT Craig Douzable and RB Danny Ware signed. In fact Ware was expected to sign his tender yesterday.
Kay Jay and Dahl both had their moments in pre-season the last couple of years, but at this point the Giants depth runs so deep (that can’t be english) that these two losses are hardly newsworthy. They will simply go down with other legendary backups such as Anthony Mix’s and Jonas Seawright.
Speaking of legendary cuts/ players who never made it, does anyone have a player who they thought would make it and never did. I was always a strong supporter of Conrad Hamilton, but he was gone before I knew it….whattya got?
← Older postsNewer posts →
