2009 Jerry Reese takes a small handful of inexperienced safeties into training camp after not resigning strong safety James Butler.  By game #3 ’08 first round draft pick Kenny Phillips goes down with a serious knee injury, leaving Michael Johnson the 7th round pick in ’07 draft to be the leader.   The Giants scrambled to fix the problem and signed CC Brown and Aaron Rouse.   You remember how that turned out.

In 2010 the Giants were thin at receiver due to injuries.  The Giants made a move to resigned Derek Hagan, a sure handed possession receiver and a perfect back up to Steve Smith.   However, Jerry Reese chose not to resign Hagan after last season.

I think most people will admit that Derek Hagan was no Steve Smith; however, he knew the system and he proved to a sure handed receiver that had 24 catches for 223 yards in only 7 games.  He would have helped now.

Here we go again…

Injuries happen to every team in the NFL but we can all admit the Giants made a colossal mistake not replacing the vital parts that they lost in Free Agency.  Today the Giants signed wide receiver Brandon Stokley.   Stokley is well traveled but deserves a chance.   He is a safe signing, and the Giants like safe, unlike the unpredictable Randy Moss and Terrell Owens.

Stokley is a savvy receiver and has the knack for making big plays.  Eli’s brother Peyton Manning worked with Stokley for a handful of years and the two became a highly productive tandem.

Most fans are screaming for T.O. or Moss, which is understandable since they have been two of most exciting players in the NFL over the last decade.

Stokley is good for this offense.  He runs hard, precise routes and he has good hands.  If his groin is fully healed from the 2010 season I would expect him to be a great outlet for Eli; however, the pattern of being unprepared speaks volumes.

Giants S Kenny Phillips has been named the team’s Ed Block Courage Award recipient for 2010.

In some ways, 2010 was a remarkable season for Phillips, one of the biggest question marks heading into the year. Coming off major knee surgery that many figured would be career-altering, if not career-threatening, Phillips made it all the way through, playing 16 games at safety for the Giants.

“It’s a blessing to get through the season healthy, especially when there were people saying I wasn’t going to play football again,” Phillips said. “I thought it was a big achievement.”

Phillips’ return to the football field earned the respect of his teammates.

“I know what it took for him and I’m extremely impressed,” fellow safety Antrel Rolle said of Phillips’ comeback. “It was a lot of hard work, more than any one of us can really put our hands on. That’s a very serious surgery to overcome and to play the amount of plays he played and be in the game as much as he was in, it took a lot of effort. It took a lot of heart.”

Phillips plans to give his knee some time off before focusing on 2011. Conventional wisdom is that it’s the second season after knee surgery when a player regains his form, and Phillips wants that to be the case.

The Ed Block Courage Award Foundation will celebrate the 33nd annual Ed Block Courage Awards March 8 at Martin’s West. One player from every NFL team will be honored for his commitment to the principles of courage and sportsmanship while serving as an inspiration in the locker rooms and community. In anticipation of the big night, PressBox is profiling each award winner. Click here for more profiles.

Tom Coughlin also added that both Kenny Phillips and Ahmad Bradshaw are sore, but that it’s not a setback.

Keith Bulluck is walking better but there is no update on him.

Despite the apparent red flag of another problem with Phillips’ knee, coach Tom Coughlin said the most recent setback stems from an incident in last Sunday’s win over the Bears and is unrelated to the microfracture surgery.

“He has a little bit of an MCL [injury],” Coughlin said as the 2-2 Giants prepared to take on the 3-1 Texans. “It’s not a surgical issue at all. He’s had difficulty coming back from it, so we’ll see. We’ve still got [time before tomorrow's game], but he did not practice.”

Phillips, who made a remarkably quick comeback from the surgery to start each of the Giants’ first four games this season, also painted his current condition in the most optimistic terms.

“It’s more of a precaution, nothing serious,” Phillips said. “They’re just trying to be smart right now.”

Asked to describe the Giants’ approach, Phillips said: “Conservative. That’s what I’m going to say right now. I think we’re being conservative right now.”

Sunday night, big brother takes on little brother, but if the NY Giants are going to stand a chance of taking down the very pissed off Peyton Manning, they better bust out the NASCAR scheme on a regular basis.

NASCAR is when Osi, Tuck, Kiwi, and JPP take the field at one time.  In Fewell’s hybrid system, Kiwi can lineup as a defensive end or a linebacker.  I’m not sure why it took so long for Fewell to let the dogs lose against Carolina, but now that we’ve seen it, we want it and we want it often.

Peyton Manning will not take kindly to going 0-2 and if anyone thinks No. 18 is going to just lay down, they must not be following Peyton’s career.  The comeback kid can match up with the best of them, and I’m sure he has no plans to let little brother beat him, especially at home in Indianapolis.

Rolle, Phillips, Grant, Webster, and Thomas are a HUGE improvement over CC Brown, Aaron Rouse, and Kevin Dockery. So if the race cars upfront can turn up the heat on Peyton, who doesn’t get hit very often, there might be a chance to continue the turn over game in the Giants favor.

1. Peyton Manning

When facing the Colts, the #1 priority is always stopping Peyton Manning.  Playing from behind most of the game, Peyton was in top form in week 1 against the Texans.  The Colts abandoned the running game, and the Texans still couldn’t slow down Manning.  The Giants’ secondary will have their hands full with the deepest receiving core in the game, but stopping Peyton starts with the defensive line.  If their defensive line comes out flat, the Colts could have 21 points at halftime.

2. Dwight Freeney

Just as Peyton Manning is the Colts’ identity on offense, Freeney is the face of the defense.  As good a pass rusher as their is in the game, the Giants’ banged up O-line will have their hands full trying to slow him down.  The loss of Kevin Boss means that blocking TE Bear Pascoe will have to lend a big hand to the pass blocking.  The Giants’ offensive line gets a big test with Freeney, and how they fare against him could be the key to the Giants’ ability to move the ball.

3. Dallas Clark

Peyton Manning loves going to Clark; he lead the team with 13 targets last week.  If the Giants’ corners are doing a good job on the Colts’ wide receivers, Manning always has Clark as a safety net.  That is why Kenny Phillips will be so important in this matchup.  He looked great in week 1, and will need to continue to improve in this battle with one of the game’s elite tight ends.

Phillips had four tackles and one interception in the Giants’ season-opening win over the Panthers yesterday. His end zone interception in the fourth quarter was nice, but it was topped by his touchdown-saving tackle on Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams in the first quarter. Williams, running right, had a clear path to the end zone but was tripped up by Phillips at the Giants’ three-yard line. The Panthers settled for a field goal and the Giants eventually got their offense going. That’s why Phillips, when healthy, is one of the best safeties in the league, and that’s why the Giants need him to stay healthy and continue to play at a high level.

When Rolle signed with the team, he stated that he was one part of the NFL’s best safety duo, and I would have to agree.

Thanks in part to a healthy defensive line and a new defensive coordinator whose specialty is the secondary, I am semi-boldly predicting that Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips will combine for at least ten interceptions.

Projected Stat Line:

Rolle: 82 tackles, 5 interceptions

Phillips: 73 tackles, 5 interceptions

If you’ve been paying attention over the past two days, you
are well aware of the mounting injuries infesting the Giants locker room.  The injuries are hampering nearly every
position group and with September fast approaching, the Giants front office has a mess on its hands.

In a matter of days, the organization will be forced to finalize the 53 man roster and thus compile a rough depth chart.  The injury to Aaron Ross, cripples the team.

Ross is suffering from plantar fasciitis, the same injury Eli Manning played through (successfully) a year ago.  Unfortunately, Manning is far from a scrambling
QB and while it may have been tough to fight through, Manning never had to truly test his injured foot.

Ross depends on his feet to play all three of the positions that the Giants are counting on him for (cornerback, reserve safety,
returner).  If Ross needs to miss significant time because his injury precludes him from cutting or running at a fast enough speed,
the Giants will lose another multi-use player of value.

The reserve secondary has been getting outplayed this preseason and the likes of Courtney Brown are not yet fit for an NFL
roster.   Subtract Ross from the mix and the Giants may be stuck.

The top 3 safeties, Antrel Rolle, Kenny Phillips, and Deon Grant are set.  Michael Johnson (who will
likely be avoiding surgery) was a solid reserve number four being that he had significant starting experience and a couple of interceptions to his name.    Johnson, however, is also battling injury.

This would have of course been remedied if Ross, who can slide to both, safety, nickel, and starting cornerback was available.  With both Ross and Johnson out, the depth chart begins to get too fuzzy for the team’s liking.  A young  defensive back that would have been sent packing may have to be retained.

As seen here:

CB- Corey Webster, Terrell Thomas, Aaron Ross, Bruce Johnson

S- Antrel Rolle, Kenny Phillips, Deon Grant, Michael Johnson

This list provides 8 names (roster spots).    Take into account Ross’s versatility and you now have nine players.  The Giants
can add a concrete ninth player at either position if they choose after watching the long shots battle it out.  This would theoretically bring the total to 10 with only the last man
added being a shaky player.

Ross’s absence is of course felt in other areas as well.  If healthy, the PR job is his, and likely the KR spot as well.  If unavailable, both jobs are up for grabs between Andre Brown and Tim Brown.  Victor Cruz significantly hurt his chances of landing the job after two horrible showings Monday night.  DJ Ware is likely lost for most (if not all of the year) after a second career concussion.

If one or both of the jobs isn’t won by Andre Brown, Tim Brown may very well “run away” with the gigs.  He has already excelled in this area in practice.  Of course, keeping Tim Brown means a roster spot must be reserved.

The Giants are already pushing the envelope at receiver.  It stands to reason that Cruz stays but if Brown hangs around too there will be a jam.  The most logical solution would be to keep only three running backs since Ware is most likely out of the equation and Gartrell Johnson is less than adequate.  The Giants, however, are dedicated to the run.

Compound the situation with the fact that Travis Beckum will unofficially be a receiver (slot receiver) and you are looking at an 8 man receiver group.  For those wondering, Ramses Barden is expected back shortly.

All of this trickles down to the Giants being forced to make yet another hard decision.   Who does this ultimately hurt?  If Ross can’t go,expect a young TE by the name of Scott Chandler to suffer.  The Giants wanted to have their cake and eat it too.  They wanted to have Beckum and three true TE’S.  Unfortunately, if Brown
can’t be sent to the practice squad there is no way that 8 receivers can be carried along with 3 TEs.

]]> http://www.giantsfootballblog.com/2010/08/23/aaron-ross-injury-may-help-a-long-shot-d-back-but-hurt-an-unrelated-offensive-player/feed/ 1 http://www.giantsfootballblog.com/2010/08/23/gm-reese-wants-to-see-more-out-of-cweb-this-year/ http://www.giantsfootballblog.com/2010/08/23/gm-reese-wants-to-see-more-out-of-cweb-this-year/#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:57:36 +0000 Craig Santucci http://www.giantsfootballblog.com/?p=13694 Continue reading →]]> NY Giants cornerback, Corey Webster is very good cornerback. In fact, since 2007 he has been one of the more productive corners in the NFC.  However, I guess I missed the story written by Matt Mosley regarding a challenge from NY Giants G.M. Jerry Reese toward Giants cornerback, Corey Webster.

“He’s got to be the guy we paid,” said Reese. “He’s got some play-making ability. He’s got to keep it between his ears, keep it right in his head.”

“He’s got all the tools to be a really great corner. But he’s got to get it in his head, ‘I’m a great corner and I can play against anybody.’ When he falls short sometimes, I think he has a mental lapse in his head about something.”

Now I understand this material is now 13 days old but I would like to take this time to support Corey Webster.

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