Author Archives: Dan Benton

About Dan Benton

Dan Benton is a professional writer based in Hudson Valley, New York. Since 2004, he has worked for AOL Sports, Madison Square Garden and currently owns and operates Giants 101. He has also done freelance work for Yahoo! Sports, The Mirl, Bleacher Report and various other outlets.

Doctors, Agent Are Optimistic

Chad Jones’ agent and doctors are optimistic that the rookie safety, who was severely injured in a car accident two days ago, could possibly return to football as early as next season (2011).

“I’m optimistic. I would like to hope so. He’s such a great athlete. I think if anybody could pull it off and come back from this, it would be Chad,” his agent, Rocky Arceneaux said.

He went on to add that Jones is “100% committed to football,” but left the possibility open that Jones could decide to play baseball -he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 50th round of the MLB Draft- if it’s easier on his foot.

The surgery to save Jones’ foot lasted seven hours, but was completed successfully by New Orleans doctors. And while I still weigh in on the pessimistic side of things, I am extremely happy to hear that Jones will at least be able to walk  again. His injuries were quite traumatic and it’s a small miracle that they were able to save his lower extremities.

“As I’ve always said, the things that got Chad to this point — his attitude, his discipline, his desire, the things that you can put together in one person’s heart and his mind — are all the same tools and abilities that will get him out of it,” his Father, Al Jones said. “That’s what we believe, and the future is going to take care of itself. It’s already a miracle, so we’re just going to take that miracle and make a bunch of miracles after that.”

As I’m sure many of you can relate, I wish the best for Chad and his family. I’d love to see him return to the Giants next year, but at this point, I am just happy he was able to survive this without any further life-changing issues.

Tagged Chad Jones, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs, New York Giants News |

Not Everything is Rainbows and Puppy Dogs

As fans, we often tend to look at our favorite team(s) through particularly thick rose-colored glasses. Whether just or not, we’re always quick to believe in any and all hype thrown our way; we believe that they stand as good a chance as anyone else, if not more.

The problem with this theory is that not all teams are on the same plain.

Sure, mathematically the Detroit Lions are on par with the New Orleans Saints right now, but we all know once the season begins that coin-flip isn’t going to land heads-up for Motown. Reality is that some teams are just better structured than others. Each team has their respective positives and negatives, but fans frequently ignore the latter until faced with them once the season begins.

In no means do I intend to sound overly pessimistic, but you undoubtedly know where I’m headed with this. As talented as the New York Giants appear to be on paper, there are a plethora of concerns and potential problems that have ultimately led to me removing my rose-colored glasses…at least for now.

Health at Running Back

Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and D.J. Ware are all coming off of injury-riddled seasons and potential health issues shouldn’t be overlooked. A Giants’ assistant has already been quoted as saying Jacobs hasn’t shown his initial burst yet this offseason, and what the team can expect from Bradshaw –especially if he gets thrown in the mix as a kick returner- remains to be seen. The bottom line is that there’s no sure thing at running back going into this season. The entire group could come out firing on all cylinders, proving that no concern was necessary, of they could come out as slow as molasses.

Age/Change on the Offensive Line

Will Rich Seubert keep his job? If not, does David Diehl get moved back into the inside? And what should the team and its fans expect from second-year player William Beatty?

Again, there are a lot of question marks…and that’s not even including the gradually slowing Kareem McKenzie.

The line was nothing to write home about last year, with several of the players showing their age and/or having their weaknesses exposed (see: Diehl against speed rushers). Why are we so quick to assume they’ll bounce back and perform at a Super Bowl-like level when we really have nothing, at the moment, to base it on?

Development of Ramses Barden

The Giants’ struggles in the green zone have been well documented since the departure of Plaxico Burress, and without Ramses Barden stepping up and doing what everyone hopes he’ll do, that likely won’t change.

The kid didn’t see much of the field last year and there was a reason why: it took him a long time to get acclimated to the NFL.

With heaping praise coming out of the OTA’s and mini-camp, fans have quickly forgotten just how much he struggled to even find playing time last year. And if history has taught us anything, it’s that a superstar cannot be made in the offeseason; look no further than William Joseph and Jonas Seawright.

Inexperience at Linebacker

With all the hype surrounding the defense and its potential, I can’t help but think back to only one year ago. All the talk around the NFL was about the New York Giants and a defense that was undoubtedly going to dominate. There were comparisons to the 1985 Chicago Bears, the 1976 Pittsburgh Steeelers and even the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.

In the end, they ended up performing about as well as the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

OK…maybe not that bad, but you get the picture.

Fact is, the Giants now have very little experience at linebacker, are unsure of who’s going to end up where and just how good they’re going to be.

Yes, there is potential, but Ryan Leaf had potential and we all saw how far that took him.

With such a young group, it would be foolish to expect perfection…or anything near it. These guys are going to hit some bumps in the road; probably quite a few of them.

Transitioning with Perry Fewell

Going into the 2009 season, many fans were ecstatic with the promotion of Bill Sheridan to defensive coordinator. They believed anyone who understood the philosophy of Steve Spagnuolo was good enough to adapt it and make it work again.

Wrong.

Sheridan was clearly out of his league and his mixed reviews at the linebackers coach should have been a telling sign of that. Unfortunately, it was just another example of expectations being entirely too high and clouding the judgment of the onlookers.

Does this mean Fewell will follow the same path? Absolutely not. He’s got a good track record and much more experience than Sheridan had, but transition in the NFL is part of the game. And for a defense now working on its third defensive coordinator in three years, a rocky road should be expected.

Seamless transitions are rare and it would be foolish to think this is going to be one of them.

The conclusion?

Just as I can’t say the Giants will be dominant in 2010, I can’t say they’ll be horrible either. What I see is a bit of a mixed bag with a lot of potential for both excitement and heartache.

For all I know, the Giants could go 12-4 and win another Super Bowl. At the same time, they could follow up an 8-8 season with an even worse campaign. We just won’t know until the season rolls around. But I am not at all ready to join the assembling crowd that is putting this team up on a pedestal.

This will be very good, I have no doubts about that…but will it be this season or next?

If you were to pin me down and force me to make a prediction, I would honestly tell you I see a 7-9 or 8-8 season upcoming. However, I would also tell you they are only a year or two (maximum) removed from making another run at the Super Bowl.

Tagged giants, Giants Blogs, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs, New York Giants Defense, New York Giants News |

Giants DE Has Been Average, Not Awful, Vs. the Run

If you were to ask Giants’ fans about Osi Umenyiora’s ability against the run, the vast majority would likely cast a disappointing look and share a snide remark. His struggles against the ground game have been well documented over the last calendar year, but are they deserved?

Since his rookie season in 2003, Big Blue fans have accepted that he’s less-than-stellar against the run, but only since his 2009 preseason outburst have they been put under the microscope.

According to Pro Football Focus, Umenyiora ranked 57^th amongst 4-3 defensive ends versus the run in 2009 with a -4.1 rating. By comparison, teammate Mathias Kiwanuka, with whom he’s most often compared, ranked 35^th versus the run with a +0.6 rating.

Frankly, neither rating is worth writing home about, but Osi’s is unacceptable.

But before we go pulling the plug on the chief, it’s worth reminding everyone that Umenyiora was coming off of a major knee surgery and had just missed an entire year of football. And whether or not fans view that as an excuse, it’s nothing something you can ignore…ACL reconstruction is a serious procedure and it takes a long time to recover.

Back in 2007, Umenyiora was significantly better against the run, compiling a +3.3 rating (including the playoffs). And considering that was done on a much healthier knee, I think it’s fair to say that’s a more accurate representation of his skill versus the run than his one down year following a major knee surgery.

Perhaps even more interesting than the full season ratings are Osi’s individual game ratings.

Over the course of 14 games in 2007, Umenyiora had only three games “in the red” (-1.1 or worse) and only five games in the negative. On the contrary, he had five games “in the green” (+1.1 or better) and eight games in the positive. He also had one game with a 0.0 rating.

Moving ahead to 2009, Umenyiora had only four games in the red over the course of the entire season, and only six games in the negative overall. His -4.3 against Dallas in week two and his -3.3 against Denver in week 12 significantly damaged his overall numbers against the run.

So, what is the conclusion?

Frankly, I think it’s safe to say that Umenyiora is still a quality defensive end who struggled in a defensive scheme that saw down years for almost every single defensive starter last year. The fact is, he spoke out against his defensive coordinator and it rubbed people the wrong way. Whether he was correct or not, it caused people to watch him much more carefully and the timing couldn’t have been worse.

Should he continue to struggle coming season as he did at times in 2009, then perhaps the negativity is warranted. Until then, I’ll view it as nothing more than a single hiccup in an otherwise very promising career.

Tagged Mathias Kiwanuka, New York Giants, Osi Umenyiora |

Former Giant Great Becomes A High School Coach

It’s been a long time since three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Leonard Marshall graced a football field in New Jersey, but this coming season, that’s exactly what he’s going to do.

No, the 49-year-old is not making a triumphant and unprecedented return to action, but he will be returning as a coach; the Head Coach of Hudson Catholic High in Jersey City to be exact.

“It’s a privilege,” Marshall said during a ceremony at the school this morning. “To take everything that’s been given to me as an athlete and go back and share it within the community where my career began, it’s an honor.”

Three years ago, Hudson Catholic High was nearly a casualty of debt and poor enrollment. Serious consideration was put into shutting the school down, but they were able to rebound, keep their doors open and prevent their football program from going under.

And now, with Marshall leading the way, enrolment shouldn’t be as much of an issue. However, turning the football team back into success is another story.

The team finished with a 2-8 record last season, beating only the Marist Royal Knights and the one-win Snyder Tigers. They were ranked 314^th in the state and held a national ranking of 12,396.

All the hurdles aside, these young kids with have a great opportunity to learn from one of the New York Giants’ greats. As a two-time Super Bowl champion, he can instill a winning attitude and a team spirit that very few opposing schools will be able to compete with.

Tagged Leonard Marshall, New York Giants |

Free Agent QB Looking To Stick With Big Blue

With Eli Manning, Jim Sorgi and Rhett Bomar all headed to camp with the New York Giants, there doesn’t appear to be room on the roster for another Quarterback. But don’t tell that to Dominic Randolph.

The 23-year-old from Holy Cross, who ended his college career as the most decorated quarterback in school history, signed a free agent contract with Big Blue earlier this week and expects to fight tooth-and-nail for a job.

“I’m definitely excited right now,” Randolph told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, “but I’m going to be getting to work and showing them what I can do on the next level. I’m looking forward to being part of a great organization.”

“Camp fodder” will be the term most often used to describe Randolph’s presence at camp, but that may be writing this youngster off a little too soon and a little too fast.

Once a high school back-up, Randolph has quickly transformed himself into prolific passer with a constant desire to better his game. And although his accolades may be taken with a grain of salt because they were accomplished in the Patriot League, there is no denying the numbers he’s put up over his four years at Holy Cross and the success that he’s had.

He finished his college career with 13,455 yards passing and 117 touchdowns. Not to mention the extremely impressive streak of four straight seasons with a 141+ QB Rating.

The one constant knock on Randolph is his lack of arm strength. It’s something he was able to overcome at the collegiate level because of his accuracy and game-smarts, but something that would most certainly present a problem in the NFL. However, that’s not to say he couldn’t improve on it…after all, Tom Brady did.

But it’s his other intangibles that give Randolph a potential edge as the team heads into camp. Head coach Tom Coughlin recently said the young quarterback may be the new holder…something the Giants will need now that punter Jeff Feagles has decided to retire.

In the end, Randolph may not be the next Joe Montana and he may not be a top NFL prospect, but he’s a smart kid who is willing to work hard day in and day out. For that reason, and that reason alone, his chances of making the team aren’t out of the question.

Tagged 2010 NFL Draft, Giants Mini-Camp, New York Giants |