Tag Archives: Mitch Petrus

With very little on our plates but the upcoming draft, I have been reading and watching several reports from this week’s Senior Bowl.

Several names have kept popping up. One in particular, Ryan Kerrigan of Purdue, continues to impress.

As I wrote in this space several days ago, I would be in favor of him becoming a Giant.  They would have to use their first round selection to get him, but if he is there at #19, he would be a steal.

Many will tell you what the Giants need in this year’s draft (offensive line, a second TE, blah, blah, blah) but their most pressing need is a guy on defense who can make plays right out of the box from day one.

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Tagged Bucky Brooks, Linebacker, Mitch Petrus, National Football League, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs, NFL, Ryan Kerrigan, Sports |

Several Giants Lineman Scheduled to Go Under the Knife This Winter

Let’s get caught up with some injury news and happenings before the season gets too far in the rear view mirror, shall we….

The Giants have several players that will be needing off-season surgery. One of them is DE Osi Umenyiora, whose knee and hip kept him from practicing in full all year.

The injuries did not prevent Osi from having a great season. A league-leading 10 forced fumbles and 11.5 sacks was worthy of Pro Bowl consideration, but the nod went to linemate Justin Tuck instead.

Although the team officially listed Osi’ s injury to be a knee every week, it is his hip that will be operated on in the near future. He opted to play through the pain this year rather than have the operation last summer and miss the season.

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Tagged Adam Koets, David Diehl, Justin Tuck, Mitch Petrus, New York Giants Blogs, Osi Umenyiora, Rich Seubert, Shaun O'Hara, Shawn Andrews |

Yesterday the Giants fielded only 2 offensive linemen in their normal slots. While Kareem McKenzie and Chris Snee stayed put on the right, the left saw Rich Seubert at C, David Diehl at LG, and Shawn Andrews debuting at LT.

The results speak for itself as New York stomped Seattle in a 41-7 rout. However, as mentioned earlier this evening, the victory had casualties. Both Diehl and Adam Koets (who spelled Seubert multiple times at C), suffered injuries. While the severity of the injuries are still unknown, the theme will likely be recurring in the near future.

Shaun O’Hara is not getting any younger or healthier. A Pro Bowler, team leader, and local product, O’hara has been a key member of the organization since arriving in 2005. Now, he is out indefinitely with a similar injury to the one that ended Strahan’s 2006 campaign prematurely. It is not likely that the Giants will continue to pay out a Pro Bowler’s salary in 2011 for an ailing player. (more…)

Tagged Adam Koets, Chris Snee, David Diehl, Kareem McKenzie, Mitch Petrus, Rich Seubert, Shaun O'Hara, Shawn Andrews |

Who would have thunk it? Following a training camp riddled with injuries (let alone a 2009 campaign with a disabled list theme) The Giants have only one player ruled out due to injury for their opener.

That player of course is Phillip Dillard, a rookie linebacker who didn’t figure to see much playing time today anyway. As reported earlier, Aaron Ross is doubtful.

The Giants, for the first time in recent memory, will have to make as many as 6 healthy scratches to whittle down to 45.

Projected Scratches are as follows:

Victor Cruz: Calhoun is a gunner and Cruz isn’t. The final active receiver isn’t likely to see time on offense so special teams is the difference maker.

Dave Tollefson: Numbers game catches up with him here. No injuries leave no room for 9 defensive lineman. Comes down to him and Linval Joseph but the Giants are eager to get this rookie on the field for real action. Plus, Joseph is 4th DT. Tollefson is 5th DE.

Mitch Petrus: Numbers game again for Petrus. Petrus entered camp with some hype and fanfare. Some feel he is a future starter. Whatever he will be in the future, he hasn’t impressed yet in exhibition action. No need to dress him today.

Michael Johnson: Johnson missed a lot of preseason football due to injury and just barely made the squad as the 4th safety with Chad Jones unavailable. Once a promising young starter for the Giants, Johnson would have probably suited up had injuries opened some room on the 45.

Gerris Wilkinson: Like Johnson, Wilkinson barely squeaked past final cuts. The reserve linebacker is low on the depth chart and while he plays well on special teams, I don’t see Team Captain Chase Blackburn (also a special teams standout) or Bryan Kehl sitting.

Adam Koets: This is a tough call to make. Shaun O’hara is returning but will be monitoring his injury for the entire season. Koets is the backup center but Seubert is also trained for emergencies. Seubert could shift over with Shawn Andrews rotating in to LG. This one was between Koets and Beckum but I don’t see the Giants keeping Beckum out and leaving Kevin Boss as the only TE (even though they are anyway).

Tagged Adam Koets, Dave Tollefson, Michael Johnson, Mitch Petrus, Victor Cruz |

With final cuts days away, the Giants find themselves in a precarious position. Injuries have thrown the availability of several key players into question and providing adequate depth to remedy the situation may force the team to cut players that deserve to stay.

To help untangle the mess, I’ll be posting installments that break down the depth at each position group over the next week.  Today we start with perhaps the most important position group, the Offensive Line.

There are currently 10 players on the roster that have a legitimate shot at landing a spot on the line. The importance of this position and the recent injury problems it has encountered suggest that the Giants would like to retain between 8-9 players. Nine may be too high however, due to the roster issues we will be discussing throughout this series.

Guaranteed a roster spot are last year’s starting 5 (David Diehl, Rich Seubert, Shaun O’hara, Chris Snee, Kareem McKenzie), Will Beatty, and rookie Mitch Petrus.
Adam Koets, Shawn Andrews, and Guy Whimper are each fighting for what will likely be one remaining spot.

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Tagged Adam Koets, Chris Snee, David Diehl, Guy Whimper, Kareem McKenzie, Mitch Petrus, Rich Seubert, Shaun O'Hara, Shawn Andrews, Will Beatty |

Lawrence Taylor Indicted on Rape Charge

According to the AP…”.Pro football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor has been indicted by a suburban New York grand jury on charges of rape, criminal sexual act and sexual abuse.”

This is no surprise….if he gets convicted of the rape, now that might be a surprise considering the inconsistent details and evidence.

OL Mitch Petrus, P Matt Dodge Agree to Terms With Giants

According to the Giants, fifth-round selection Mitch Petrus has agreed to a contract with the team.

Petrus, a tough run-blocker in the mold of Rich Seubert, played at the University of Arkansas and has already become a favorite of the coaches and fans.

Also coming to terms with the team is punter Matt Dodge.  The East Carolina prospect was drafted in the 7th round in April after Jeff Feagles told the team he would not be returning.

Tagged Lawrence Taylor, Mitch Petrus, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs, New York Giants News |

Injury Issues of 2009 Spilling Over Into This Season

Two years ago two key players for the New York Giants had off season knee surgery.  Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield both went under the knife during the off season to repair torn up knee ligaments and to no surprise…they had terrible  seasons.

Thinking back upon the players injuries, the press reported these surgeries as common place and routine as drinking Gatorade on the sidelines; however, when there production slipped and there reliability was in doubt…the questions came fast and furious.

Now June 2010 and the New York Giants are only weeks away from Camp Coughlin, and I question why some of the key players(Boss) on the team are having “Off Season” surgery so late in the game and what is Gilbride’s plan to run the ball when all 3 starting running backs(Bradshaw, Jacobs, and Brown) have had recent surgery.

What is to be expected when these players don’t perform to the highest level.

1. Kevin Boss – May 23rd Ankle Surgery.  Why wait 5 months from the end of the ’09 season to have this done?   Boss is an intricate part of the NY Giants offense and will now be shelved for 6 weeks.  This will certainly put the players conditioning in jeopardy as well as a “lack of timing” between Manning and Boss.   The same “lack of timing” Eli used to complain about when missing Pro Bowl Tight End  Jeremy Shockey.

Boss is in a contract year and needs to have a break out season to offer the NY Giants offense more fire power, especially with the recent drought from the running game.

2. Ahmad Bradshaw – foot and ankle surgery.  Bradshaw has had 3 off season surgeries where screws were inserted into each foot to act like an extra bone strengthening  the outer edge of his feet.  The Giants tend to feel that Bradshaw’s bow-legged running style puts pressure on the outer bones of each foot.  Bradshaw also had irritating bone spurs removed from his right ankle.

Once again, can No.44 be counted on to carry the ball 12 times a game after 3 foot and ankle surgeries?   Will he ever be the “change of pace” running back they NY Giants so desire and what about his conditioning when he has been unable to run for 6 months.

3. Brandon Jacobs – underwent arthroscopic surgery in January to repair a torn meniscus that haunted him throughout the 2009 season. The surgery was considered a “clean up”  and should not be considered anything that will hold back the running back from a bounce back year.  My question is when did this injury take place, because the big brash back  was “tip toeing” through the line from the first snap of 2009 season.

Running Back and its overall production will be a position under fire for most part of the 2010 season.

4. Kevin Boothe – The backup offensive lineman will be out for 4 months after tearing a pectoral muscle in late May while working out during the team’s organized team activities.  Boothe was dependable player, stepping in for injured lineman at different time through out the season.

With the pounding O-lineman take, Boothe will be missed; however, this will open the door for rookie Mitch Petrus to step in when needed. Petrus was a 5th round selection from Arkansas.  Boothe will likely miss most of training camp due to the injury, which will make it hard for Boothe to make the team due to this recent set back.

Tagged Ahmad Bradshaw, Barry Cofield, Brandon Jacobs, DJ Ware, Fred Robbins, Mitch Petrus |

There were many moments during the 2010 NFL draft; were I thought I might throw something through my TV .  It wasn’t going as I had hoped.

I didn’t want the NY Giants to draft a project and dress it up by calling it “Raw Talent”, I didn’t want the fourth or fifth best defensive tackle, I didn’t want another safety and I especially didn’t want a linebacker who until the fall had lost his starting job and only averaged 7 tackles a game.

However…the gem of the Giants draft came in the fifth round when Tom Coughlin reached out and called Mike Petrus the offensive guard from Arkansas to ask him what he felt  about playing football for the New York Giants.

Petrus’ impressed the Giants brass back in February at the NFL combine when the former Razorback tied the bench press record of 45 repetitions (of 225 pounds).

Coughlin said, ‘I’m about to turn your name in for the draft, and how would you like to be a New York Giant?’

Petrus eagerly responded, “I would love to be, and I can’t wait, ” Petrus said.

Mike Petrus is big man at 6’3 and 310 pounds, and will fit in perfectly as the successor to Rich Seubert. Petrus has already done his share of blocking for stud college running backs as he paved the way for Darren McFadden and Felix Jones who both passed the 1000 yard mark in 2007.

An even more impressive note to mention is that in 2005 Mike Petrus arrived at the Razorbacks’ fall camp as a walk-on. With no major college scholarship offers, Petrus sucked it up and headed to Arkansas to prove recruiters wrong and to showcase how much of a hard worker he was.

It paid off, because Mike Petrus is coming to the “new” Meadowlands to blow open some holes for Brandon Jacobs and Amhad Bradshaw.

- Craig J. Santucci is a Senior Writer for Pro Football NYC.com

- Craig J. Santucci is the NY Giants “Fan Voice” for NFLtouchdown.com

Tagged 2010 NFL Draft, Mitch Petrus |

From our friends at Football Reporters Online..

MITCH PETRUS, Arkansas, Senior; 6-3, 307, 5.25.

Mitch Petrus was part of an O-line of Baby ‘Backs that served up a lot of sore ribs while clearing the path for Felix Jones and Darren McFadden. An Associated Press All-America Second Team selection, Petrus has a super-strong upper body and legs (no problem keeping defenders at arms’ length); but no verification whether that translates to enough of a degree of flexibility needed for lateral acceleration. If you live to run like Buffalo, Carolina and Miami do, Petrus could be a nice addition.

Tagged Mitch Petrus |