NFL-Giants: NY Giants football news

Some great info on Sam Madison (including lots of quotes), Brandon Jacobs (looks bigger and says we’ll see him more involved in the offense), Chas Blackburn (fully recovered), and more.

Wellington Mara had legislation passed in his honor by the House of Representatives. The Giants.com press release I’ve linked to also has some biographical data on Wellington Mara.

So the Giants will be playing the Colts:

Eli vs. Peyton didn’t happen in the Super Bowl, but it will happen the first week of the 2006 season in the prime-time Sunday night opener on Sept. 10 at Giants Stadium.

Should be a good test of the Giants new secondary, eh?

It appears that one of these guys will be the #3 receiver for the Giants now that Tim Carter has been resigned (2 years, 2 million, 1/2 million bonus). There all fast, and there’s a good chance one of them can do the job. Tim Carter is the best bet if he stays healthy. Though last year he didn’t do much.

Harry Williams is fast and can catch, but may have a bad knee. Jamaar Taylor was the “great value” 6th round pick with 2nd round talent who hasn’t done much and has also had some injury problems.

Who knows, maybe it’ll be Tyree as the Giants 3rd receiver.

Everyone who is anyone is gearing up for the 2006 NFL season. My first step will be to buy premium New York Giants seats for their first game at Giants Stadium. It is a tradition in my family to pile in the car and head down to Giants Stadium for tailgating before the game and tons of Sunday football fun. It is also fun to get Buffalo Bills tickets and take the kids to visit Grandma for the weekend.

The 2006 NFL schedule looks really fun and I am planning to travel to some away games this season. Of course that means I will need Philadelphia Eagles tickets for games at Lincoln Financial Field, Pittsburgh Steelers tickets because they are going to be the team to beat and Washington Redskins tickets because I can

The Giants have signed (or are signing) Tyree to a 5 year contract. With him and Jason Bell downing all of our punts inside the 20 our punt coverage team looks be insane. #1 in the NFL insane.

Don’t get me wrong, the other special teams will be good too. But I’m really excited about punt coverage!

Will Allen has signed with Miami for 4 years, 12 million, 5 million guaranteed. It’s interesting how Will Allen’s contract is similar to Sam Madison’s. Who got the better part of this “trade”? Well the Dolphins get someone who is young enough to perform for 4 years while one really has to wonder if Madison has 4 years left.

Of course, it got to the point where throwing at Will Allen basically involved no risk since he never came up with an interception. Madison should do better there, though he may be a bit slower and less able to play man coverage.

The Giants have agreed to terms with safety Will Demps (from the Baltimore Ravens). Demps will sign a 5-year, $12 million contract today with a $3 million signing bonus. A nice quote from Len Pasquarelli:

Demps will start at free safety and team with strong safety Gibril Wilson to give the Giants one of the best young interior secondary tandems in the league.

The Giants have agreed to terms with Tim Hasselbeck (three years, $2.25 million) and kick returner Chad Morton (four years, $3.9 million).

The Giants also added cornerback R.W. McQuarters. McQuarters got a three-year, $6 million contract with a signing bonus of $2 million. McQuarters, 29, is an eight-year veteran who played last season with the Lions.

The Giants also signed Cardinals safety Quentin Harris, 29. Harris is good on special teams but should only be a backup safety.

Primary source here is the New York Post.

I like these moves because with the exception of defensive tackle and WLB, the Giants no longer have any obvious holes. In other words they won’t have to reach for a CB or a safety in the draft.

Sam Madison is a Giant. His contract is a bit longer than I expected: 4 years and $7.4 million with a signing bonus of $2 million. The Giants will pay Madison base salaries of $900,000 in 2006, $1.2 million in 2007, $1.5 million in 2008, and $1.8 million in 2009. There apparently is also an annual incentive of $250,000 for four or more interceptions.

Personally, I find it unlikely that Madison has 4 years left so I’m not sure I like the 4-year deal. The Giants should still be about $8 million under the $102 million salary cap. That means that something might happen when the giants meet with Arrington soon.