Monthly Archives: March 2010
GM Addresses Personnel Issues With Media 
Jerry Reese spoke candidly, but guardedly, with the media yesterday. As usual he had a lot to say, and, as usual, most of what he said can be dismissed.
Reese has a history of playing situations close to the vest. Yesterday, he downplayed the Giants’ immediate needs at linebacker.
“We have Gerris Wilkinson, Clint Sintim, Jon Goff, Bryan Kehl. We have some guys on the roster right now we hope will step up….. but we’ll continue to look for that position in free agency and the draft.”
Translation: we’re keeping all our options open….don’t be surprised if we look elsewhere in the first round and grab a LB later in the draft. My take: if Rolando McClain is there, Reese is taking him. Last year, Reese said he was content with the young talent he had at receiver , but then he drafted Hakeem Nicks, Ramses Barden and Travis Beckum in the first several rounds.
Reese also claimed that Osi Umenyiora would be a play a big role in the Giants’ future.
“Osi and I had some good conversations. I expect Osi to be back and be a huge part of what we’re doing.”
Translation: Osi is on the verge of becoming expendable unless he straightens out pronto. My take: if someone approaches Reese with an offer he can’t refuse, he won’t. Osi has openly criticized the team. That’s an unforgivable sin in East Rutherford. The last player to do that (Jeremy Shockey) was shipped out to the highest bidder.
Reese got down to doing some straight talking as well. He said Kenny Phillips “looks good” and “He feels like he can start running right now….but we’re taking him slow. We don’t want him to have any setbacks.”
The GM was also impressed by newly signed punter, Jy Bond, who punted with both legs. “First time I’ve ever seen it. I thought he was just messing around. I said ‘Is this guy kidding?’ He kicks with his left foot on the pooch punts and he kicks with his right foot when he spirals the thing. He’s different, but he’s got a powerful leg. We’ll see what he can do.”
Tagged Jerry Reese, New York Giants News |
Offensive Culture Drives Playoff OT Rule Change
In a move that certainly caused more than a few purists to blow a gasket, the NFL owners today voted 28-4 to change the way playoff games are decided in overtime.
A coin toss will still determine possession. Each team will be afforded a possession in overtime, unless the team that wins the coin toss scores a touchdown on their initial possession.
Should they not score at all or kick a field goal, the opponent gets a possession. If the opponent scores a touchdown, or fails to score at all, the game is over. If they kick a field goal, then the game reverts back to the rules of sudden death overtime.
The change is not a welcomed one for some, but it is needed. This is not your father’s NFL. It is an offensive game.
Had the league gone forward under the rules of sudden death, teams that won the toss would have had a huge advantage in winning the game. Offenses, especially playoff ones, can easily navigate themselves into field goal range and win the game without giving the opponents an opportunity to answer. We’ve seen this happen all too often…..
This eliminates that from happening. I welcome the change.
Tagged NFL Owners Meetings, NFL Rules |
Right now, it’s about two months from the yearly spring meeting in Dallas where owners and NFL officials will convene and make a decision on where the Super Bowl will be 4 years from now.
In 2011, the game’s in Arlington
In 2012, Indy will play host
2013 will be the year creole and jambalaya will be served down in NO.
2014? Remains between Tampa Bay, this year’s host in Miami, and the new state of the art Giants and Jets stadium
Why do they have to pick it 4 years in advance is still yet to be determined.
Regardless. It’s being rumored that the possibility of the Super Bowl being played in an open-air stadium in a cold environment is growing. The NFL has already waived the “weather requirements” for the Super Bowl, which means it is legal for the game to be played in Jersey.
I don’t have a vote and I can’t even take a position with the ownership,” Goodell said Monday. “I think it (New York Super Bowl) could be very attractive to the ownership and to the NFL in general.”
New York’s main competition will be Tampa Bay, who continues to reiterate it’s attractiveness and success as a prior host to the world’s biggest sporting event. Tampa has hosted it three years in the past.
Putting bias aside, is it really a good idea to put the Super Bowl in the Northeast? I mean, what if the weather is bad. When I say bad, I mean sub 20s temperatures, possibly snow, heavy winds, and so forth. What will the events coordinators do. The Super Bowl isn’t just a game. It’s a week long event. There’s tons of different things that go on, and somewhat depend on the nice weather as a give-in.
Granted, New York has it’s fair share of facilities (Jacob Javitz Center, MSG, etc) that could be used, and we all know how the bubble works by now. So maybe it could work. The new Subway system sure doesn’t hurt either.
As of now, I have mixed feelings.
Apparently the league thought the additions of Chris Canty, Rocky Bernard, Michael Boley, and C.C. Brown was enough free agent star power to award the Giants 0 compensatory draft picks.
For those who don’t know, compensator draft picks are rewarded to the teams who lost more than they gained through free agency.
The big winners: Cincinnati.
The Bengals gained 3rd and 4th round picks for the upcoming draft. (The 96th and 131st picks to be exact.)
Second place: Atlanta
The Facons received a 3rd and 5th round picks. (98th and 165th)
The Giants got dittly. For some reason, the league felt that the four free agents the Giants signed actually contributed in a positive way. Where do they see that? Not even a 7th rounder?? Nothing.
In other news, TE Darcy Johnson and CB Kevin Dockery both signed with Spags and the Rams. Dockery says he needs a fresh start…which apparently to him means play with the d-coordinator your most comfortable playing with.
Ford and Spiller. Sounds like an expensive law firm, doesn’t it?
Clemson will be sending two explosive players to the NFL this season by those names: WR Jacoby Ford and RB C.J.Spiller.
Ford is the fastest player in the draft and Spiller is that franchise running back that teams froth at the mouth over.
Ford ran a 4.28 at the combine this year, Spiller a 4.37. In college, they were the most productive all-purpose offensive duo in NCAA history.
Spiller finshed his four years at Clemson with 5.9 yards-per-carry average. I thought that was a misprint. It’s not. Spiller was practically dominant in the defensively strong ACC. In the NFL, he has the potential to be as good a player as Adrian Peterson or Chris Johnson. He will most likely be gone by the time the Giants pick at 15.
Ford is not as highly regarded. His size (5’9″ 180) is a major drawback. Mock drafts project him as middle-rounder. I say phooey to that. Have they ever heard of Desean Jackson? Well, Ford is a faster version of Jackson, who gives the Giants major problems.
My fear is that Ford will be taken by Dallas or Washington. He also could end up in New Orleans, Minnesota, New England, Houston or Indianapolis which would leave pundits scratching their heads..”How did THAT happen..?”
Tagged 2010 NFL Draft, New York Giants News |
New York Giants: The Gmen have been pretty quiet this offseason in terms of how many moves they’ve made. Up until now the only transactions worth noting are the releasing of Antonio Pierce and signing of safety Antrel Rolle.
Although the moves haven’t been abundant, the Gmen addressed quite possibly their biggest need with the signing of Rolle. The team also improved themselves by letting the aging Pierce go. His veteran leadership will be missed, but he just flat-out wasn’t cutting it on the field anymore.
I guess the next most noteworthy roster move would be the subtraction of David Carr and addition of Jim Sorgi. (hey maybe Jim’s presence will help Eli play a little more like big bro).
Offseason grade (thus far): B
Philadelphia Eagles: Like the Giants, the Eagles also parted ways with a player who’s been part of their team for some time in Brian Westbrook. Also like the Gmen, many would argue and point out that it was the right move for the franchise.
Besides the Westbrook cut, the Eagles have made some pretty good moves. Trading special teamer Chris Clemons and a draft pick for a pretty solid end in Darryl Tapp looks good on paper. Signing oft-injured CB Marlin Jackson may help them out as well if he could stay healthy. RB Mike Bell was also brought in from New Orleans to help LeSean McCoy with the running attack and replace Westbrook.
The Birds parted ways with some veterans as well which include DE Darren Howard, OL Stacy Andrews, and WR Kevin Curtis.
Offseason grade (thus far): A-
Washington Redskins: The Redskins are full of hustle and bustle this offseason. They got a new coach, and with that, a lot of players have been removed from the roster. Among the veterans cut from the Redskins squad include Antwaan Randle El, Fred Smoot, Randy Thomas, Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, and Cornelius Griffin.
However with removal, there’s always addition. The ‘Skins signed DT Maeke Kemoeatu, TE Sean Ryan, RB Larry Johnson, QB Rex Grossman, and T Artis Hicks. They also resigned DE Philip Daniels, T Mike Williams, C Will Montgomery, and C Casey Rabach.
For the ‘Skins well being, I really hope they draft 7 rounds worth of offensive linemen. They also lost Chris Samuels to retirement and it’s no secret this team has maybe the worst offensive line in the NFL. I’m not sure why they think the addition of Larry Johnson is better than the subtractions of Cartwright and Betts. (Betts is as good of a backup RB as you could find in my opinion)
Offseason grade (thus far): B-
Dallas Cowboys: Nothing. The Cowboys have done almost nothing at all this offseason. They extended Demarcus Ware, and cut Nick Folk. That’s virtually it. As I wrote previously, maybe they’re saving it all up for the draft, but as of now, I can’t even give the ‘boys a grade because there’s nothing to grade them on.
Offseason grade (thus far): NA
So who’s improved the most?
I guess as of now I’d have to say the Eagles. They’ve made the most moves to better their team. Most of the additions they’ve made are quality players, and most of the subtractions were warranted for one reason or another.
The Gmen come in a close second. However, Antrel Rolle is not the only piece to the puzzle in terms of fixing all the problems. There are still some quality players to go out and get in terms of LB and secondary depth. I think the Gmen could look a little further and perhaps bring in some more depth before the draft rolls around.
Not much going on, so I have to dig a bit today…
Ernie Palladino wrote on his blog that the Giants will wait to see how Andre Brown is rehabbing from his Achilles’ blowout before they make any decisions about drafting a RB in April.
If they do decide to go that route, Ernie intimates that the team has some interest in Tennessee’s Montario Hardesty, who has been compared Clinton Portis and Marion Barber III.
Ed Valentine at Big Blue View tells us that the Giants’ chances of landing LB Rolando McClain are dwindling. Ed thinks McClain will be gobbled up by Denver, who drafts 11th.
According to Pat Traina, the Giants will give PSL holders a sneak peek at their new seats on the weekend of the draft.
Willets Point Media will be launching a new website – ProFootballNYC.com – on April 1st. The site aims to be a top resource for both Giants and Jets fans. They are currently recruiting contributors (of which I am one…)
Upcoming Important Dates
Annual Owners Meeting (Orlando, FLA) – March 21-24
Deadline for signing of Offer Sheets of Restricted Free Agents – April 15
Deadline for old club to exercise right of first refusal to restricted free agents – April 21
NFL Draft – April 22-24
Rookie Mini Camp – April 30-May 2
Spring Mini Camp (Manadatory for All) – June 15-17
Tagged 2010 New York Giants, Giants News |
Here is a college LB wearing #98 that is all over the field. No it’s not Lawrence Taylor. It’s TCU’s Jerry Hughes.
Hughes is 6’2″, 255 and is a DE that will most likely translate into an OLB. You can never have enough pass rushers, and whoever drafts him will need one less….
Tagged 2010 NFL Draft |
The Giants signed a punter yesterday – former Australian rules football player Jy Bond. That’s not a misprint, his first name is Jy – no vowel….
This does not mean the end of the Jeff Feagles era. The 44-year-old Feagles has told several sources that he wants to return to the Giants, and he is currently in negotiations to do so.
More on the 30-year-old, 6’2″, 216 lb Bond….from his Wikipedia page…“… son of former Australian rules football player Graeme Bond, Jy Bond was drafted by the Richmond Tigers under the father/son rule but did not play senior football with the team… spent two years training to become a punter in the National Football League, and in 2008 was on the radar of the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, and Cincinnati Bengals…..Jy has been coached and mentored by Darren Bennett. He has also trained with Sav Rocca…..was released by the Miami Dolphins on June 15, 2009…”
Tagged New York Giants News |
Philadelphia Eagles: The birds made a move yesterday trading 1-year Eagle Chris Clemons and a fourth round pick in this year’s draft over to the Seattle Seahawks for DE Darryl Tapp.
Tapp will be entering the 5th year of his season and is definitely an adequate player at his position. He’s had as many as 7 sacks in a season and as many as 4 in one game.
In other news, the Eagles also signed New Orleans Saints RB Mike Bell to an offer sheet in which the Saints have seven days to match. If this goes through, the Birds will most likely be off the market for any other RB’s in free agency right now.
I for one thought they were going to make a very strong push to bring in Leon Washington from the Jets. I thought he would’ve fit perfectly in their system…but apparently I don’t know too much.
Dallas Cowboys: In a report from ESPNDallas.com, Calvin Watkins writes that the Cowboys could be looking at one or two players in free agency.
They haven’t said who exactly they’re interested in, but Watkins speculates that it may be Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe. The Rams have until April 15th to sign him to an offer sheet or give him that guaranteed 7 million he is owed.
It’s kind of surprising how quiet the Cowboys have been thus far in this free agency period. Every expert and their mother speculated that with an uncapped free agency, Jerry Jones would go ballistic with his wallet. So far, this has not been the case. Maybe he’s saving up the ammunition for the when the draft rolls around.
Washington Redskins: The Redskins are hosting Joey Porter for a visit. It’s coming as a bit of a surprise because the ‘Skins hole at linebacker sits on the inside, and Porter plays on the outside.
Washington first considered Larry Foote to fill the whole, but that dwindled away as he resigned with his former team Pittsburgh just a few days ago.
I’m not sure what Washington is trying to do here. Taking a perennial pro-bowl outside LB and moving him inside could work, but why mess with a good thing?
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