Tag Archives: Chase Blackburn
The Giants’ defense has been playing with that old swagger of late. Could there be a direct correlation to the return of LB Chase Blackburn? We believe it could be. He has added the aggressiveness back to the defense
From our friend and colleague Tom Rock of Newsday…
In his first game back with the New York Giants, Chase Blackburn intercepted an Aaron Rodgers pass, one of only six non-Packers to catch a pass thrown by the presumptive MVP this season.
Afterward, when the Packers had won on a last-second field goal, Rodgers teased Blackburn by saying he didn’t recognize him in his new uniform number.
“I think he’ll know who 93 is this time,” Blackburn said this week.
Tagged Chase Blackburn, New York Giants |
SNY Insider Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger is reporting the Giants have finally come to their senses and are bringing back MLB Chase Blackburn.
Blackburn, who played for the team from 2005-10, could sign either today or Wednesday. It’s unclear who the team will cut or place on injured reserve to make room.
Blackburn made the team an undrafted free agent in 2005 out of the University of Akron. He went on to become a spot linebacker during his five seasons with the Giants. Blackburn was also a special teams captain last season.
I wrote before the season after Jon Goff went down that Blackburn should be brought back. The Giants, for some odd reason, brought Chase in for a workout, but did not make him an offer. Instead, they decided to play rookies. How’s that worked out so far..?
My father has been watching the NFL since the ball was round. One of his favorite recent Giants was Chase Blackburn. He was not happy when he saw Chase’s name was omitted from this year’s roster.
“He comes to play,” my father said. “They are gonna miss him.”
He was right and has asked me repeatedly why the Giants hadn’t re-signed Blackburn. With all the injuries, there was no reason for this guy to be sitting home. He also cited that Chase plays with passion, something the defense has been lacking.
Blackburn may just be what this defense needs: a veteran in the middle. With Mark Herzlich (ankle) possibly joining the legion of injured Giant defenders, Blackburn’s return couldn’t come at a better time.
Tagged Chase Blackburn, New York Giants News |
The Giants will be put to the test this season trying to fill the holes on their defense with players no other team seems to want.
The new challenge is at MLB where Jonathan Goff, the appointed starter, went down with a torn ACL on Monday.
The alternatives are grim. Goff’s only backup is undersized rookie Greg Jones, and although he’s got the heart of a lion he may not be the immediate answer for the Blue.
The team plans on trying out two former LBs – Kawika Mitchell and Chase Blackburn – both whom are said to be less than 100% at this time.
Mitchell began his career as a MLB with Kansas City before coming to the Giants for one season in 2007. After leaving the Giants, he has only played one full season and has only appeared in six games since 2008 – none at MLB, either.
Blackburn was with the Giants for six seasons, becoming an UFA this spring, but has not garnered much interest from many team’s.
Chase was the Giants’ special teams captain and backup MLB. He knows the defense, but he is hardly what the Giants have in mind right now.
If Mitchell’s knee holds up and Blackburn still has that fire, the Giants could bite – or get bit…
Tagged Chase Blackburn, Kawika Mitchell, New York Giants |
It is certainly not surprising that many top NFL analysts expect the Giants to select an offensive lineman with their 19th overall pick next month. The majority of the line has exhibited a lower level of performance over the past two seasons and both C Shaun O’Hara and Rich Seubert sustained serious injuries last season.
Compounding the issue, William Beatty took a step backwards in 2010 despite being projected by many as the starting LT on opening day. The offensive line needs youth and talent ASAP, therefore selecting a Tyron Smith (USC) or a Mike Pouncey (UF) would be logical.
Tagged Chase Blackburn, New York Giants Blogs |
The good news coming out of Timex today is Chase Blackburn’s status. Despite being carried off the field yesterday, the captain was walking to team meetings today without a limp or hard cast. He may even be able to return as soon as Sunday but did acknowledge he aggravated his MCL injury from this past summer.
Beatty on the other hand will require surgery on his broken foot. Coughlin is unsure that this injury is a ticket to IR but it looks that way. Should Beatty be done for ’10, the Giants reserve linemen will consist of Shawn Andrews, Mitch Petrus, and Adam Koets.
Although the organization does need to make room for Bear Pascoe, I don’t see the team proceeding without another capable reserve tackle. Shawn Andrews has been used mainly as a guard and Adam Koets is listed as a tackle but in reality is only a backup center.
Speaking of TE’s, still no word on Kevin Boss‘s fate. The team was forced to concede this afternoon that Boss did in fact suffer a concussion last year despite their insistence he hadn’t. This concussion would of course be his second in two years.
Should his year be over, Pascoe would take over as the starter.
Tagged Chase Blackburn |
Some days, you don’t want to be right. Today, any Giants fan that shared my disapproval of keeping only Kevin Boss and Travis Beckum know exactly what I’m talking about.
So now, we here at GFB get to play the “What if” game. Let’s spin the wheel:
What If Boss will be able to return in time for the Colts? In that case we don’t have much to discuss.
What if Boss is sent to IR? Well then, that’s bad news and Bear Pascoe has to cancel his Sunday plans for the next 5 months.
What if Boss is out an extended period, but not quite long enough to merit a banishment to IR? Things get sticky.
As evidenced today, the Giants cannot operate with Beckum playing as a legitimate TE. His small stature and lack of blocking ability make him a wide receiver.
Promoting him to 1st string TE is equivalent to the Yankees replacing Mariano Rivera with a high school junior. Diminutive star in the wide open game of college football does not translate to reliable option in professional football.
Tagged Bear Pascoe, Chase Blackburn, Duke Calhoun, Kevin Boss, Victor Cruz |
Chase Blackburn will avoid surgery but has a sprained MCL that will cause him to miss an undetermined amount of time according to Ralph Vacchiano of the Daily News:
Blackburn was more or less a lock to make the team if he stayed healthy. For the past five years he has been a quality reserve player, occasional starter, and special teams standout. The numbers game may hurt him though, as the Giants are likely to have several hard decisions to make when final cuts are due.
Tagged Chase Blackburn, Eli Manning, Victor Cruz |
-Victor Cruz. 3 TD’s? Granted they came agaisnt backups or lower, but the young receiver still showed valuable ball handeling skills and at least two of his big catches came in tight coverage. Cruz is also the first player to haul in 3 TDs in a single pre-season game since T.O. in 1998. If Moss beats him out… well frankly it just won’t happen.
- Chase Blackburn has a sprained knee. Clearly we won’t see him again before the regular season, if we see him at all. The linebacking corps is crowded. As good as Blackburn has been for New York over the past five years, if he can’t contribute for a month or two he might be headed towards the chopping block.
-Speaking of Blackburn, Gerris Wikinson, showed signs of life. Not good for a laid up linebacker.
-Jim Sorgi has a cannon and Rhett Bomar has wheels. The Giants will probably be forced to cut at least one and early on it seemed that Sorgi was a fish out of water without a clipboard in his hand. His poor play was likely a result of a struggling offensive line. His play swiftly picked up when Cruz and Hagan took the field. Sorgi is still the favorite to be the backup QB after showing marked improvement throughout the second half.
-DJ Ware had a decent showing against non 3rd stringers for the first time ever. Maybe Andre Brown isn’t entrenched at number 3.
-Jason Pierre-Paul seems to have come a long way from collapsing at his first pro practice back in May. 1 sack later, I am very interested to see how he factors in to the regular season attack this year.
Tagged Chase Blackburn, DJ Ware, Jason Pierre-Paul, Jim Sorgi, Victor Cruz |
Chase Blackburn might not be the most recognizable name on Big Blue’s roster, but at the NFL Alumni Connecticut Chapter’s Fourth Annual Golf Classic yesterday in Darien, CT, he was a true Giant.
Blackburn joined the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005. This season will be his sixth as a pro. Yesterday, he made an impact off the field by participating in the annual golf event at the Country Club of Darien, which raises money for youth-related charities.
Festivities included an 18-hole team scramble in which each foursome was captained by a former or current player, a live auction, and an awards dinner.
Stamford Advocate/Greenwich Time reporter Jesse Quinlan wrote about the event, and spent time talking to Blackburn. Here are some of the comments the Giants’ linebacker made:
On being a role model:
“Our time in the league typically doesn’t last too long but the impact we can make sure can. Our words carry a lot of weight with kids, I know I would have loved to have met a professional football player when I was growing up in Ohio. I try to get to as many charity events as I can, I just feel like it’s the honorable thing to do. This is a beautiful course from what I hear, so that doesn’t hurt either.”
On the New Meadowlands Stadium:
“Playing there is gonna be unreal. I can’t wait.”
On last year’s disappointing season:
“It was the first time in my five years that we didn’t make the playoffs. Sure we had our share of injuries, but so does every team in the league. That was unacceptable, so we have plenty of motivation for the upcoming year.”
Tagged Chase Blackburn, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs, New York Giants News |
Last year, Justin Tuck and his wife Lauran founded the R.U.S.H. for Literacy charity to help underprivileged kids in New York and central Alabama read by providing them books.
Last night, Tuck along with his wife hosted a charity billiards tournament for the R.U.S.H. program. There were 32 celebrity pairings there.
Among them in attendance, Sinorice Moss, Hakeem Nicks, Chase Blackburn, David Diehl, and Shaun O’ Hara.
Other athletes included Speedy Claxton and Chris Duhon.
It is expected that Tuck and his wife raised approx. $200,000 from the event.
If you would like to make a donation to Tuck’s charity and find out more about it, click here..
Notes:
When asked last night about the Boley suspension, LB Chase Blackburn said he’s ready to fill the void. “I played in that position there last year. When we start the season, we need someone there and, hopefully, I’ll be there or at least competing for the job and be ready to go,” said Blackburn
Also, when asked about his ankle and its recovery, WR Sinorice Moss simply gave a thumbs up to the reporter saying, “trust me, its good.”
-side note, Sinorice teamed up with rookie Hakeem Nicks in the tournament last night. Little WR chemistry growing over there..
Tagged Chase Blackburn, Hakeem Nicks, Justin Tuck, Sinorice Moss |
