Tag Archives: Keith Bulluck

Just a friendly reminder…

Kenny Phillips, Keith Bulluck, Michael Johnson, and Steve Smith will be returning to the field tonight.

7PM (ET)  NBC 4 and NFL Network.

Tagged Keith Bulluck, Kenny Phillips, Michael Johnson, Steve Smith |

Giants’ New MLB Exudes Stability, Confidence

Nothing beats a veteran who knows how to handle the media.  In his first press conference (via phone), Giants’ new MLB, Keith Bulluck, displayed  a lot of confidence and for the moment, allayed the fears of Giant fans.

Bulluck told reporters that he chose the Giants over the Arizona Cardinals after speaking with former Giants DE Michael Strahan last week.  He also alluded to the fact that the Cardinals were not as strong without QB  Kurt Warner, who retired at the end of last season.

His confidence was evident throughout the call…..

From our colleague at WFAN Paul Dottino’s Twitter account…..

bulluck – “nyg have more of a solid team (than arizona) – they lose their qb in kurt warner”

bulluck – “i’m not a rah rah guy. … i’m a natural leader. i don’t need to have a C on my chest. …i’m here to win”

bulluck – been calling def. signals since he was soph at syracuse so “it’s natural. …that’s what i do”

Tagged Keith Bulluck, New York Giants, New York Giants News |

Days Until Training Camp……..6

Bulluck Brimming With Optimism

It’s amazing how the signing of Keith Bulluck has injected a positive vibe into the Giants’ hopes this season. He’s a upbeat guy who’s happy to be here and yes – he will help get that defense back on track.

This was good pickup by GM Jerry Reese, even if Bulluck isn’t quite what he used to be – a Pro Bowl-caliber player. He will add much needed experience to a unit that has a lot of upside and talent, but not much field time.

Bulluck will wear No. 53, a number many Giants fans feel should be retired in honor of Hall of Famer Harry Carson.  He intends to live up to the expectations that go with that jersey number.

From Paul Schwartz, NY Post…….

“Being from here I know the standards, know the history of the Giants,” Bulluck said. “Playing middle linebacker for the New York Giants, especially wearing No. 53 like the great Harry Carson, says a lot. Says a whole lot.”

One thing about New York, you can’t BS people and I’m not about that,” Bulluck said yesterday. “This is what I need for me. I need to be somewhere where there are high expectations, not just from the organization but from the fans. This is another part of my challenge.”

While choosing between the Giants and Cardinals, Bulluck said he had a 20-minute conversation last Friday with former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan.

“I think Stray is what took me over the top,” Bulluck said. “I signed a one-year deal, but that’s just on paper. I’m very confident I will retire as a Giant, and it won’t be after this season.”

Eli and Abby Manning Create Scholarship Fund

Football’s nice guy, Eli Manning, is at it again.  On Friday, the University of Mississippi announced that alums Eli and Abby Manning were establishing a need-based scholarship program, Ole Miss Opportunity. The couple donated $1 million to help launch the program which is geared to assist the neediest students in pursuing a college education.

From the Ole Miss website……

Early Super Bowl Picks Are A Giant Fan’s Nightmare: Cowboys vs Jets

Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News ran this in his column yesterday……

Spotting the trendy picks for Super Bowls in July has never been simpler. From one publication to another, one talk show to the next, the Cowboys and Jets are the media’s darlings and the people’s choices for Super Bowl XLV.

While some prefer flying under the radar, that’s seldom an option for the Cowboys. When everything a team does is magnified, a long-awaited playoff win one year is sure to turn into expectations of parade routes the next.

Coach Wade Phillips doesn’t mind the role, even if he’s not your basic seize-the-spotlight head coach.

“It puts focus on what’s expected. There’s pressure to do well,” Phillips said. “Anytime you have pressure to do well, you do better.”

For the Jets, great expectations are not the norm. Having long shared a home field with the New York Giants, the Jets usually rank a distant second to the Giants on the interest meter.

And the Giants have won three Super Bowls – one of them just 2 ½ years ago – since the Jets captured their one and only Super Bowl with Joe Namath waving an “I told you so” finger some 42 years ago.

All things considered, the trendy pick that has the better chance of playing football in February has to be the Cowboys.

Like I keep saying, the Cowboys ended their season in the same fashion the Giants did – getting crushed by the Vikings in Minnesota.  The difference was the Cowboys had a healthy team and everything to play for, while the Giants were at half-strength with nothing to play for.  I can’t see what’s changed over the past several years.  They still pulled an el-foldo in the playoffs, this time it was just one round later……

The Jets are taking a lot of pressure off the Giants here by pushing their brand at every twist and turn. The soon-to-be reality stars are going to find that this year will be no cakewalk and they no longer have the Super Bowl pedigree (Alan Faneca, Thomas Jones) to navigate them through it…..

Tagged Dallas Cowboys, Eli Manning, Keith Bulluck, New York Giants Blogs, New York Giants News, New York Jets |

Days until training camp…..7

Bulluck Signing Speaks Volumes About Giants LBs

GM Jerry Reese stood before the media time and time again trying to convince the media and fans that he was satisfied with his linebacking corps.

It didn’t feel like he was being truthful all those times, and now we know why. He wasn’t. Reese was actively waiting for a veteran linebacker to become available.

It is clear now that he did not want to go to camp with all unproven players vying for the most pivotal position on the defense, which is coming off a historically dismal season.

Keith Bulluck appears to have been very high on Reese’s list.  The Giants could have had the Raider’s Kirk Morrison, or several others but chose to wait for the injured Bulluck to recover from knee surgery.

Bulluck worked out for the Giants last Monday at the Meadowlands and apparently “wowed” the coaches, although there are still some concerns regarding his knee.

From Gary Myers, NY Daily News……

“My knee is 90% and it’s getting better,” Bulluck said. “I still have work to do. I’ve been working out since Jan. 2, and it continues to get better. I’ve been running and doing football drills since the beginning of May. But I haven’t been in a camp doing 7-on-7s.”

From Paul Schwartz, NY Post…..

Bulluck provides credibility in the middle of a defense. The Giants next Sunday report to camp in Albany and were about to stage a competition featuring third-year Jonathan Goff, rookie Phillip Dillard, oft-injured Gerris Wilkinson and reserve Chase Blackburn. Based on the unproven nature of the participants, middle linebacker was considered a get-by position, a spot where whoever won the job would likely be a one-down player taken off the field in the nickel package.

Now that could change. Bullock, selected to the Pro Bowl in 2003, had a career-high 152 tackles in 2004 and at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds is a ball-seeking defender.

From FOX 17 in Nashville…..

Many fans and tweeters seemed to be happy about the Bulluck signing. I’m not against it, just curious.  Bulluck is an outside linebacker, not a middle man. Where is he going to fit?  I can’t see a 33-year-old coming off major knee surgery being that much better an option than what they already have.

The only reason Reese would bring Bulluck in would be to try to replace Antonio Pierce. But that means Bulluck would have to be on the field. At MLB – a position he rarely has played in his 11-year NFL career. I see Bulluck as a one-year bridge to either Dillard or another free agent or possibly a high draft choice.

Ike Hilliard to Coach in UFL

Former Giants WR and first round selection Ike Hilliard has not officially retired from the NFL, but for all intents and purposes, he’s done…He has signed on to coach WRs in the fledgling UFL.

From the NY Daily News…..

Just two years ago, he was suiting up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but these days, he’s coaching. Next month, he’ll begin his first full year as receivers coach for the Florida Tuskers in the United Football League.

“It’s fun,” says Hilliard, 34. “I made the transition as soon as I was done playing. Now, I’m just along for the ride. Being a coach is a totally different animal (than playing).”

Hilliard has adjusted to coaching quickly, partly because his injury-marred career prepared him well. He arrived in New York with plenty of fanfare in 1997; the Giants had chosen him with the seventh pick of the draft following a record-setting career at the University of Florida.

Tagged Keith Bulluck, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs, New York Giants Defense, New York Giants News |

Veteran LB Brought “Into the Mix”

According to SNY’s Mike Garafalo, the Giants have signed free agent LB Keith Bulluck to one-year contract worth approximately $2.5 million.

Bulluck was at the Meadowlands for a workout last Monday. and apparently showed the Giants he was worth bringing in.

From Tom Friend, ESPN….

“…..he (Bulluck) unofficially joined them in March in the cold Manhattan rain.

Coming off ACL surgery just seven months ago, with no team to supervise his recovery, Bulluck spent most of his spring rehabbing in New York. In the process, he fell back in love with the city of his youth — and agreed Saturday to an undisclosed contract with the Giants, making it the city of his immediate future.

“Just walking the streets of New York gave me my edge back,” said Bulluck, 33, a former Pro Bowl player who has spent his 10 NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans. “Some of those walks were tough, man. Like when it’s raining or sleeting or it’s just cold out. And your knee aches. I wasn’t 100 percent at the time. But the energy of it all helped me. Just the people, the good attitudes, the bad attitudes, just the whole vibe of the metropolitan area. If you’re from there or have ever been there, you definitely know what I’m talking about. I’d have to say this is a dream come true.”

More from independent blogger Brian McIntyre….

A native of Suffern, New York, Bulluck was a first-round pick (30th overall) out of Syracuse by the Tennessee Titans in 2000. Bulluck started 130 of 157 games during his ten seasons in Nashville, including a string of 127 consecutive starts that began late in the 2001 season and ended when Bulluck tore the ACL in his left knee in a December 20 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Bulluck has 1,056 tackles, 18 quarterback sacks, and 19 interceptions during his career, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl following the 2003 season.

This signing puts it all together. Jerry Reese had been a bit too coy about his plans. He knew he was going in this direction all along. He and Tom Coughlin just needed to see if Bulluck was physically sound enough in July to bring into camp.

The Giants could use a veteran presence on their LB corps.  It is believed they plan to plug Bulluck in the middle. I don’t think he was signed to backup/spell Clint Sintim or Michael Boley on the outside.  If that’s the case, Giant fans, you have one less “camp battle” to focus on.

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