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Giants’ Biggest Move This Off-Season: Regaining Their Health

by John Fennelly on April 12th, 2010 at 11:04 am

Patience Will Pay Off in Long Run

The Giants, unlike the Jets, do not feel the need to make a huge splash in this uncapped off-season.  If you look up and down their roster, you pretty much see a playoff team – providing they stay healthy.

Last season, just about everything went wrong: injuries to the entire offensive backfield, a QB battling a bad heel and a defense that was in the wrong scheme and that suffered an usual amount of key injuries.

With those facts in mind, you would think the Giants were a four or five-win team.  No, they went 8-8 despite logging in some of the worst numbers in franchise history on defense.

This off-season, GM Jerry Reese had one goal: make the team better without giving anything up.  He has done that thus far.  He brought in two seasoned safeties to bolster the defensive backfield: Pro Bowl safety Antrel Rolle and 11-year veteran Deon Grant. In the process, he dismissed Aaron Rouse and revoked a tender offer to C.C. Brown.  Win-win….

Reese has also re-signed punter Jeff Feagles (for what may be a final season) and his possible replacement- Jy Bond, the Australian.  They made other small moves such as picking up Peyton Manning’s caddy, Jim Sorgi, to back up brother Eli.  Reese also grabbed Broncos’ OT Herb Taylor off waivers and is in negotiations to sign OL Darnell Stapleton, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

With the draft approaching the Giants have 68 players either under contract or bound by a tender.  After April 24th, they will have 75 players and will still look to sign undrafted free agents immediately after the draft.

From what has been reported by the media and the team itself, only one of those players may not be ready for training camp.  That would be safety Kenny Phillips, who the Giants are being extra cautious with. Other than that, they are coming back healthy and should have anywhere between 7-10 news faces on the sidelines come September.

You can figure on Reese picking up an impact player on defense in the draft, but it may not be any of the suspected names currently being bandied about by draftniks.  You can also count on him looking to get faster on both sides of the ball.

The Giants, by doing very little except convalescing,  will be back at the top conference again.

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About John Fennelly

Managing Editor of SNY.tv's Giants Football Blog - the ultimate destination for New York Giants' news, opinion and entertainment. View all posts by John Fennelly →
  • igs

    “…and a defense that was in the wrong scheme and that suffered an usual amount of key injuries.”

    Not to be too contentious, but I have to say, the defense wasn’t in the wrong scheme last season. It was the perfect scheme – in fact a super bowl winning scheme – with some of its more important wrinkles taken out by a not-so-smart DC. Now, the Giants are actually in the wrong scheme.

    Also, as to wear I tend to denigrate Mike Tannanbaum for being overly-aggressive and trying to make the big splash on every play, it wouldn’t hurt Reese to make a bit of a splash every now and then. I’m just saying.

    • touchdownmaker

      I agree. They had the horses to run spag’s d, but they didn’t have Spags. They aren’t built perfectly for cover two though, but Fewell said he is not running straight cover two. I guess we will see.

      I guess all personell match a cover two scheme except for our LB’s, and DT(may be).

      Well, if Reese wants to make a splash Albert Hayenesworth is available, and we won’t have to pick up his $21M this year.

      • http://www.profootballnyc.com John Fennelly

        Not sure they want Haynesworth any longer…even though you’re right…he’s a lot cheaper now…he is strictly a 2-down player that takes too many plays off…

  • http://www.profootballnyc.com John Fennelly

    The zone blitz was confusing no one except the Giants themselves,,,,Osi and Tuck are upfield rushers that shd never be dropped into coverage….as for the new scheme – we haven’t seen it yet, if it’s a pure Tampa 2, they need to get much faster in the back seven and the pass rush has to return to Strahan-like levels..but health is the main thing….they can’t give up 400 points again, that is for sure.

    The Jets are bringing in questionable characters in an attempt to build their brand….they still need to approx sell about 8,000 PSLs ……they need to win the Super Bowl in order to do that

    • igs

      John,

      I guessssss… but we have seen this team in the Tampa 2 and it wasn’t a good look. The most important part of that SB winning defense was the player rotation and subbing that covered up 2 out of shape DTs and a DE that is too small to be full time. Why they decided to 86 it, I don’t know. Even if there were no player deficiencies it’s a great wrinkle. The other thing about Tampa 2, it limits the amount of players you can put in the LB spot. And now what happens to Clint Sintim? All these question marks have been created by the Giants, not injury and not bad drafting.