The Giants made a call to expected undrafted free agent Virginia Military Institute senior Vicheal Foxx to ask if he'd be available for an early May mini-camp. At 6'4" and 320 pounds, he's got the right size to play defensive tackle.
I never liked Gabe Watson at #25, but never thought he'd be a day 2 pick either. Now, he'll have to play hard to reach his second contract because his first contract won't make him rich. That should be motivation enough for just about anybody...
Orien Harris was someone a lot of people talked about in the 2nd round. Jonathan Lewis from Virginia Tech is a guy I really like. We've also got Rodrique Wright and Babatunde Oshinowo on the board. I think Montavious Stanley could develop into a nice run stuffer as well. Don't forget DT Johnny Jolly, a 320 pound run stuffer. I also didn't see Steve Fifita drafted; he's another 320 pounder. All 4 defensive tackles I wrote about last week are still on the board. Add Jonathan Lewis (who I really thought would go in round 2 or 3) and we have 5 defensive tackles I'd be real happy with. If the Giants choose two with their 4th round picks I will be a very happy man.
At corner, we've Will Blackmon and DeMario Minter who can develop into starters. CB Alan Zemaitis was great in college but I'm not sure that'll translate into the pros.
Seems to me that there's lots to get excited about in the 4th.
WR Sinorice Moss, from University of Miami, was the Giants highest rated receiver (I'm surprised he was rated high than Holmes). I can see him pushing Tim Carter and Jamaar Taylor for playing time, especially since neither of those guys has done much. I have no problem with trading up either. The Giants still got one pick in the third round and will have an extra 4th rounder.
If it were me the pick would have been Jimmy Williams or the trade down. Frankly, I think it is awesome that the Giants were able to trade down. Just awesome.
I figure the Giants would want to come out of this draft with 2 defensive tackles, 1 or more corners, 1 linebacker, and 1 wide receiver. Now they can get 4 of those on day 1 and 2 more in round 4 (near or at the end)!
So what happens to my excitement? The Giants take Mathias Kiwanuka. No Jimmy Williams, no linebacker, no defensive tackle, no Chad Jackson or Moss. Very puzzling.
Crazy draft - I need a rest.
I've got some reading material for you as you prepare for draft weekend. First up are some comments and things from the blogger mock draft I reported a few days ago (the one where I picked Jimmy Williams at 25). I doubt he falls that far in real life, but we'll see.
And some articles. Pierce is still talking defensive tackle. Says some very nice things about Clancy. Wish he were here. There's an article on Carpenter. On the one hand they say he can play any linebacker spot. On the other hand they say he's most likely a SAM. With Emmons, Short, and Torbor SAM seems to be the linebacker spot where the Giants have the most depth.
Personally, I think CB needds to be a priority since they are impossible to find in free agency (Madison and Allen being exceptions this year). Garafolo mentions Maroney, Carpenter, and Chad Jackson.
Pierce and Arrington came up to Giants Stadium from Virginia together, late because Arrington's car broke down. Everybody sounds happy. Osi says it feels like the Super Bowl and Arrington says he likes his contract.
So Perry over at Chicago Sports blogs recently set up a mock draft where we bloggers could play armchair GM. We could trade picks and everything (which I tried to do but had an offer rejected). Luckily, Arrington's signing became publi right before I went on the clock. The only LB on the board I would ahve considered was DeMeco Ryans, but there was better talent available in Jimmy Williams (CB), Snatonio Holmes (WR), and Eric Winston (LOT). Here's how the draft played out:
1. Houston Texans - Reggie Bush RB USC
2. New Orleans Saints - Mario Williams DE NC State
3. Tennessee Titans - Matt Leinart QB USC
4. New York Jets - D'Brickashaw Ferguson OT Virginia
5. Green Bay Packers - A.J. Hawk LB The Ohio State University
6. San Francisco 49ers - Vernon Davis TE Maryland
7. Oakland Raiders - Michael Huff DB Texas
8. Buffalo Bills - Brodrick Bunkley DT Florida State
9. Detroit Lions - Chad Greenway LB IOWA (the real shocker to me)
10. Arizona Cardinals - Vince Young QB Texas
11. St. Louis Rams - Haloti Ngata DT Oregon
12. Cleveland Browns - Manny Lawson LB N.C. State
13. Baltimore Ravens - Jay Cutler QB Vanderbilt
14. Philadelphia Eagles - Winston Justice OT USC
15. Denver Broncos - Mathias Kiwanuka DE Boston College
16. Miami Dolphins - Chad Jackson WR Florida
17. Minnesota Vikings - Ernie Sims LB Florida State
18. Dallas Cowboys - Bobby Carpenter OLB Ohio St. (this one also surprised me)
19. San Diego Chargers - Antonio Cromartie CB Florida State (interesting)
20. Kansas City Chiefs - Tamba Hali DE Penn St.
21. New England Patriots - LenDale White RB USC
22. San Francisco 49ers - Kameron Wimbley DE Florida St
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Deuce Lutui G Southern Cal
24. Cincinnati Bengals - Gabe Watson DT Michigan (I wasn't going to take him anyway)
25. New York Giants - Jimmy Williams CB Virginia Tech (sure he's got attitude problems, but the Giants have enough leaders on D to keep him in line and he was the best talent available and at a position of need - I ranked need nose tackle, corner back, receiver, LOT, WILL and the LOT and WILL would have little chance to be more than backups. I tried trading down with the Colts, thinking they'd want DeAngelo Williams offering them #25 for #30 and their 3rd rounder.)
26. Chicago Bears - Santonio Holmes WR Ohio State (This blogger told me he wanted Williams but was one pick too late).
27. Carolina Panthers - DeAngelo Williams RB Memphis
28. Jacksonville Jaguars - DeMeco Ryans LB Alabama
29. New York Jets - Nick Mangold C Ohio State
30. Indianapolis Colts
31. Seattle Seahawks
32. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Giants made a huge improvement on their entire defense by signing all pro linebacker Lavar Arrington allowing the Giants to turn their first round dratft needs to a quality corner or safety. Arrington had spent the last six years with the Washington RedSkins.
"We needed a big, power player to add to our defense and LaVar Arrington is that," said general manager Ernie Accorsi. "He has a presence about him and he makes us a better football team. The agreement we came to is a fair deal for the player and a fair deal for the organization.. We came to an agreement that achieves what everybody wants: the player being rewarded for performance. Which is exactly what LaVar and the Giants wanted."
Arrington has 67 tackles (335 solo), 22.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and three interceptions for his career and made the pro bowl three years in a row from 2001-2003.
Well looks like the Giants signed Arrington today, boosting their defense and their chances at winning more games. With that said I stand by my proclamation that this team will not win more than seven games this season. In my previous post I outlined the first half of the season, in which the Giants start 4-4. Here is the final half of the season done in a game-by-game analysis.
Week 10 – The Giants will by flying high into this week, coming off the two consecutive wins to push them to 4-4. Unfortunately the Chicago Bears are good enough defensively to stop the Giants and hold them to a minimum in points. With their new passing playmaker in Griese, the Bears should be able to post enough points to win this game.
My Final Prediction: Chicago takes a stab at the confidence of New York and shows them up at home.
Week 11 – Jacksonville was a very good team last year. Led by a solid defense and a well-coached quarterback, they were able to win double-digit games in the tough AFC. Playing in their home will be a tough game for New York to win. Coming off of last week, the Giants should find themselves down early and lose their second game in a row.
My Final Prediction: Leftwich and the Jaguars make enough plays and take the game away from the Giants.
Week 12 – The Titans probably won’t have McNair and won’t have much anyone else either. Seriously what happened to this team, they went from a playoff regular to a team full of nobodies in no time. Look for the Giants to take out all their frustrations from the season so far on a terrible defense, I’m talking about forty points plus.
My Final Prediction: The Titans are not a good team and that doesn’t look like it is going to change. Easy win for the Giants.
Week 13 – The Giants are going to come back from their two-game road trip and find Terrell Owens and the Dallas Cowboys waiting for them. The Cowboys were a good team last year, and with Owens they should be great. New York is a good home team but this is just plain a tough draw. Dallas should pull this one out as Owens catches multiple touchdowns.
My Final Prediction: This loss is really going to be the beginning of the end for the Giants playoff hopes.
Week 14 – If last weeks game was bad for the Giants, this weeks will plain devastate them. The Carolina Panthers have been a solid team for quite a few years, even almost making the playoffs after losing many key players and starting 1-7 two seasons ago. Playing in Carolina is not a game many teams are going to succeed in, and the Giants simply don’t seem to be a team that will be able to match the task.
My Final Prediction: Road loss to the Panthers should knock the Giants out of the playoff hunt for good.
Week 15 – Now that they are out of the playoffs, the Giants will be steaming and looking to get out of their hole. The Eagles will come into town looking to win a road game, and will lose a close one. Eli should show his poise and make all the big plays down the stretch in this one, showing he is indeed developing.
My Final Prediction: The Giants are a good home team and they have enough firepower to win this game in New York.
Week 16 – Playing another game against a porous team, the Giants should be able to beat the hapless Saints. Drew Brees should keep this game close, but the Saints defense is simply terrible. Eli should have a second straight great game this week, with Burress getting multiple touchdowns.
My Final Prediction: The second straight win at home pushes the Giants one game closer to finishing 8-8 on the season.
Week 17 – Washington is another team that has a good defense and just plays well at home. It is hard to go into their stadium and take a game when they are still fighting, in my opinion, for a playoff spot. I think the Giants will get close, but lose in the closing minutes to a team that just wants it more.
My Final Prediction: A final loss should end a very disappointing year for the Giants and their fans. 7-9 is not what was expected from this team, but the schedule was just against them all season long.
So there you go, my analysis game-by-game is complete. Let me know what you think, feel free to leave comments and your own predictions!
This has to make you smile. Arrington at WILL, Pierce at MIKE, Emmons at SAM (or Torbor or Short but I think Emmons is best) is a good looking linbacking corps! Wow! I'm excited!
7 years and 49 million seems like a lot but you have to trust the Giants cap management which has been good recently. I don't know how much is guaranteed. Newsday predicts a 7-8 million dollar signing bonus which is a lot but not unreasonable. Anyway, who excited?
Newsday is reporting that the Giants are close to a deal with Arrington. The Giants were not interested in "$18 million in guaranteed money, close to $18.5 million that linebacker Julian Peterson got from the Seattle Seahawks in a seven-year, $54-million deal last month." I wonder what Arrington will end up with?
I'm going to look at LOT and big defensive tackles.
DT - Looking at larger guys, you have Gabe Watson who may be around at #25 but who may not have the heart to be great. The dude was benched his senior season. But he's big!
Steve Fifita is short at 5'11" but a big, strong 320 pounds. Projected on most draft sites as a late-round pick/ free agent. I think he'll be a good run stuffer in the NFL and would be anice fit next to Joseph. I have no idea why this guy would go undrafted and would like to see the Giants draft him.
Johnny Jolly is also projected to go in the later rounds. He's 6'3", 320. Another possible run stuffer.
Montavious Stanley is 6'2", 315. Can stuff the run and rush the passer a bit.
LOT - There's really one guy I like. Daryn Colledge. I'd be shocked if he was there when we pick in the second but you never know. He is said to have great desire and top intangibles. I love guys who work hard.
The Daily News is reporting that Arrington will visit the Giants again to ake a physical (something he hasn't done yet). Apparently he wants to sign before the draft. That's interesting because the Giants are "the only team Arrington is planning to visit before the draft. According to league sources, his only choices are the Giants, Jaguars, Dolphins and Packers. So far none of those teams has been willing to meet his asking price of seven years, $54 million with $18million guaranteed."
That's too much for the Giants to pay since Arrington is hardly a sure bet. Barret Green had less injury history than Arrington...
Brandon Short is back with the Giants with a one-year deal with a base salary of $585,000. Sounds nice and cheap to me. Good signing!
What I'm reading here doesn't add up. Fist it says that this means Arrington probably isn't coming to the Giants. I doubt we do sign Lavar, but I don't see how signing a SAM for 585,000/year has any influence.
Then it says that Emmons and Short will compete for the SAM job and Torbor is expected to move to WILL. Is it just me or before the Short signing was Emmons being projected to WILL while Torbor remained at SAM? Considering that Emmons is better in coverage (though I concede that Torbor is the more natural pass rusher) I would expect to see Emmons move to WILL.
Just a little article on a DT and a safety the Giants may be interested in on draft day. And another one.
With the 2006 NFL Draft just a little bit more than a week away, who will the Giants, with the 25th selection in the first round go for, and what positions do they need to be filled to be successful this NFL Season? The positions that the Giants desperately need to fill is Line Backer and are predicted to draft one in the first round. As of now, they have two quality linebackers in Antonio Pierce and Carlos Emmons and will thus need to pick up two quality backers either in free agency. They are attempting to sign former Pro Bowler Lavar Arrington but will still need to draft one quality linebacker in this year’s draft. Possible selections include Chad Greenway of Iowa or DeMeco Ryans, though the chances that Ryans will still be available at the 25th pick is slim to none.
The Giants will also be looking to strengthen their defensive backfield in the draft and are likely to get a few cornerbacks and safeties all they do not have a high enough selection to draft one of the college football superstars. We will see how the draft plays out for the Giants April 29th and 30th.
No Giants news other than a good read on Jim Finn in this article. It talks about his history in the NFL, how he's from new Jersey, how he was a tailback in college, and one thing more: "I want to win a Super Bowl," he said. "You get tickets every year (as a player) in the NFL, but I refuse to go until I get to play in the game."
That's cool!
After reading comments directed to my proclamation that the Giants would win at most seven games in my last post, I decided to analyze the schedule they will face next year and point out the games I believe will be wins and losses for them. Keep in mind that I am predicting games thinking that both teams will be as healthy as possible. It is true that any big injury can make any good team a poor one, but that is not something that can be accurately accounted for this early in the year.
With that in mind here is the first half of the schedule analysis!
Week 1 – The first game of the season kicks off against the powerful Indianapolis Colts. Despite losing their marquee running back this off-season, expect the Colts to still have a high powered offense and to come out roaring looking to make up for a lost playoff run last season. The Giants are just outmatched at nearly every position in this game, from quarterback to wide receiver. They won’t be in this one after halftime.
My Final Prediction: Giants lose big in a disappointing home opener to the powerhouse Colts.
Week 2 - Playing in Philadelphia is never an easy thing to do, especially when the Eagles boast one of the top quarterbacks in the league. When healthy McNabb has practically owned the NFC East, and the Giants, in almost every season of his career. It’s hard to bet against the Eagles playing at home.
My Final Prediction: McNabb takes advantage of a Giants team still feeling the sting of a blowout loss the week before and pushes them to 0-2.
Week 3 – The gamers simply do not get easier for the Giants. After the Eagles they travel to Seattle to face the defending NFC Champions. The Seahawks are a great, let me repeat, great home team. They have gone undefeated in Seattle in two of the last three seasons. Something about playing at home just makes the Seahawks seem unbeatable.
My Final Prediction: This loss is going to be devastating but there is no going against a home team like Seattle. It may be hard to imagine after last year’s run, but I have the Giants starting 0-3 going into their bye week!
Week 4 – Bye week should allow the team to refocus on their next game.
Week 5 – Three straight losses and an extra week to think about where they are should have the Giants ready to play this game. Washington is a good team but not a great one. The Giants, like many NFL teams, do play well at home and should have enough firepower and motivation to win this one.
My Final Prediction: New York comes out angry and frustrated and finally wins a game, taking it straight to the Redskins.
Week 6 – After a disappointing start, New York should begin to excite the fans again while playing in Atlanta. Michael Vick is a tough task for any defense but looked human last season and the Falcons were a very inconsistent team overall. New York should have enough offense to outperform the good defense of Atlanta.
My Final Prediction: Look for the Giants to build off of last week’s win with a second straight win over the Falcons on a road.
Week 7 – The Giants will simply run out of steam in their visit to Dallas and first game versus division rival Cowboys. Their momentum from the last two weeks will allow them to stay in the game, but the Cowboys just seem too strong with the addition of Terrell Owens to their roster.
My Final Prediction: How good can the Giants be on the road? I chalk this game up as a loss because the Giants don’t have the defensive stoppers to hold Owens back.
Week 8 – Playing back at home against a playoff team after a road loss should get the G-Men feeling good about themselves again. Tampa Bay is not a bad team, but remember that their main quarterback now is Chris Simms. I really don’t see how the Buccaneers will be able to repeat last year’s success, and this should be an easy win for the Giants.
My Final Prediction: The Giants take this game and continue to do well at home since their first week loss.
Week 9 – Will Reggie Bush be playing for Houston? Probably, but it really won’t matter. The Texans simply are not a good team and do not have enough talent to keep up with too many teams in the NFL just yet. The Giants should have their second straight easy win with huge days from Manning and Burress.
My Final Prediction: Playing a bad team sure will help a mediocre team out in the wins column, this game should be the Giant’s gateway to a .500 record halfway through their season.
So that concludes my analysis on the games the Giants will win and lose for the first eight games the play this season. As you can see I have them starting out with a 4-4 record even after starting a disastrous 0-3. The second half of my analysis will be up next week, for now lets hear what you think of these games!
It's official. Feagles is retrning for another season. That is very good news for the Giants. Feagles is an excellent punter, and is the holder on field goal attempts. The Giants special teams will be awesome!
Paul Schwartz expects the Giants to take the best linebacker available at 25 becuase Arrington will most likely not be a Giant:
At the moment, the scenario involving LaVar Arrington and the Giants is a dead issue. The Giants do not have an offer on the table and would bring the former Redskins linebacker in only at modest price, which is significantly lower than the bloated contract sought by Arrington's agents.There are a number of great prospects expected to be available: Bobby Carpenter, Chad Greenway, and DeMeco Ryans. A.J. Hawk and Ernie Sims are expected to be off the board.
Keep in mind that Emmons is a passable WILL so we don't need the rookie to start. At least not immeidately. I do have my doubts about Emmons making it through the entire season so I would expect the rookie to end up with some playing time. Of those 3 DeMeco Ryans would be my choice, but all three seem like they could become quality starters to me.
I don't care about Greenway's 40 since he won't be covering running backs 40 yards downfield anyway. At 250+ pounds Carpenter seems more like a SAM but the Giants proved they don't care about stereotypes when they drafted Jacobs to be a tailback. If the dude can cover, I have no problem with a big WILL.
The next two guys don't figure into many 1st round mock drafts, but since they are always wrong... Thomas Howard from UTEP can cover and rush the passer. Sounds like WILL material to me. Maryland's D'Qwell Jackson could make the switch from inside to OLB. I've never seen him play so I don't if he can cover. I've read that he plays fast and has good insticts. Sounds good to me.
In the end, it's not such a bad draft to be forced into taking a linebacker. Let's just hope the Giants choose the best of the bunch.
I can't find any breaking Giants news, so here's what I have for you: a sports betting blog. As someone just learning the terminology (and someone who has never bet on a sports games) the articles on this blog are quite interesting because they go into the strategy of betting.
For example the most recent article is one on how to find value by betting the run line in baseball. I suppose most NFL talk will wait for football season, but there is some criticism of the new restrictions on celebrating in the end zone. At least we know football is on this blogger's mind.
I also learned that the NFL doesn't allow ads for visiting Vegas and that the Red Sox have a lotto ticket coming out. I agree with the blogger; it's interesting that MLB hates sports betting but endorses the lottery.
There's also some commentary on betting on soccer, which I know very little about. It does make me wonder about betting on the World Cup in Germany - that I will be following closely. Throw in the occasional NBA pick, and you've get a real interesting blog.
The Giants 2006-2007 schedule was released by the NFL recently. The Giants season opener will be against the Indianapolis Colts which will be televised nationally on NBC. This game is a rivalry of the “ Manning’s” as superstar Peyton Manning of the Colts squares off against his little brother Eli. This will be the first ever NFL contest between the two brothers. The Giants have a relatively difficult schedule as they will face teams that made the playoffs last year in eight games. They face NFC East rival Washington twice, as well as Seattle, Chicago, Indianapolis, Carolina and Jacksonville once.
“This challenging schedule will allow the New York Giants football team to compete and hopefully succeed at the highest level in the NFL,” Coughlin said. “Our goal is to be the best football team in the National Football League. In order to be the best, you have to play the best. And this schedule certainly provides us with the opportunity to do that. With the quality of this schedule, our offseason and our training camp preparation has now taken on new emphasis. All that we do in our offseason, our spring OTAs, or mini-camp and our training camp has obviously been directed toward the quality of the schedule.”
The Giants have a bye in Week Three before they will face the Redskins for the first time. The Giants also face the Skins in Week 17 to close out the regular season. A full schedule can be found below:
http://www.giants.com/gameday/schedule.asp
Dr. Z puts Tiki in good company, even if only for one game:
From Brian of Cincinnati: My comparison of Reggie Bush and Walter Payton, as far as size, might have made kind of sense, but few people had Walter's heart. True, of course. That's why he's in the Hall of Fame. But they do exist. Emmitt Smith, Reuben Droughns of the Browns; Travis Henry, when he was going well for the Bills; Tiki Barber against the Chiefs last year. The conventional argument is that the big paycheck has dampened some of the almost frenzied desire of some runners, which is where it really shows. I don't know. I'd have to do a research project on that. A chart. FDRs (Frenzied Desire Runners) Then and Now. Might be a good project for you to undertake, Brian. And thanks for your kind words.That was some awesome running Tiki!
The New York Giants are coming off one of their most successful campaigns since Bill Parcells was their head coach after finishing with the best record in their division and a playoff berth. With that said, an embarrassing loss in their first playoff game has the Giants looking for more. So that begs the question, just how good is this team position by position? Below are the vital positions, defense is grouped as a whole for now, and how the Giants rank in my opinion.
Quarterback – One of the best young quarterbacks is in a Giants uniform in Eli Manning. With the legacy of his father and the success of his older brother, Eli has had a lot to live up to in his first few years. Last season started out fantastic for this young gun, but ended in mediocre fashion. For the Giants to step to the next level, Eli has to improve and show that he can remain consistent throughout the season.
I am still a little shocked by the end of the season. Eli was out dueling his brother on a weekly basis in the early weeks, and then averaged only one touchdown a game with eight total interceptions over the last six games. It really has to worry you that he dropped off so badly at the end of the year. I think Eli is going to start slow this year and hurt the Giants early. He is still far from being the player his brother is.
Running Back – Coming off a career year in all stats, Tiki Barber looks to build on his success of last year. Every team needs a good running threat to fuel the offense and remove pressure off the quarterback. For the Giants to be successful, Tiki has to continue to get the tough yards and avoid turnovers.
At this point it is hard to imagine Tiki falling back to his old habits of soft running and fumbling the ball. He won’t have as strong of a season as he had last year, but he will do enough to keep defenders watching the run. Tiki just better hope Eli keeps the defenders back looking for the pass.
Wide Receivers – In his debut season with the Giants, Plaxico Burress provided everything that was expected of him. A big, speedy receiver, Plaxico needs to keep getting catches and touchdowns. Eli needs the big target to continue his development more than anyone else. On the other side, Amani Toomer offers a solid second option for his quarterback, and has long been a New York staple.
The wideouts on this team should definitely be reliable for Eli Manning as long as they remain healthy. Plaxico is a concern in this position and I would not be surprised to see him miss two or three games.
Tight End – Another offensive player, another career year. Jeremy Shockey is another big target for his young quarterback. As with everyone else on the offensive side, Shockey needs another big season to continue the stellar offense the Giants displayed last season.
I can see Shockey dropping off here. He has a volatile attitude and seems to care more about himself than the team. He has sparked more controversy than any other player in his position besides maybe Kellen Winslow Jr., and his antics were mostly in college. Here is hoping, for Giants fans, that I am wrong.
Defense – Not much to say here, despite having a sack artist in their front line the Giants were abysmal at defense last season. Tackling is something they need to learn to do and must improve.
For the Giants to return to the playoffs, in my opinion, they must have a top notch defense. While they are certainly still going to be getting sacks with their big front line, their linebackers are suspect right now. This area can be helped with the signing of Arrington, but that move has yet to be made.
The Giants also made another puzzling move by basically swapping their stud cornerback Will Allen for Sam Madison, a good corner in his own right but one who is aging. I think they would have been better sticking with their own guy, but now all we can do is see how the move works out.
Overall – All in all, the Giants are coming off a year where almost all their players played out of their minds. So much of their offense came from skill players having career performances.
Don’t get me wrong on this, I think the Giants have as good of a shot at the playoffs as anyone if they can build off of last year. The bar has just been set so high, however, that I don’t think it is possible for them to do so. There will almost certainly be a drop in their offense, so they are going to have to pick it up on defense.
It also hurts the Giants that they are playing in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. In my opinion, both Washington and Dallas have improved more than the Giants have yet. Of course, the off-season is not yet over and a lot of moves can be made still. But they need to add some more playmakers to both sides of the game to replicate last years success. A good draft would do wonders for this team. Remember last year when rookies Merriman and Tatupu had an immediate impact on their two respective teams defenses.
Otherwise they will finish third in their division and out of the playoffs this year. With this team I would give the Giants a 7-9 record, with four of the losses coming within the NFC East against divisional rivals. Their first four games, the Colts, Eagles, Seahawks, and Redskins will result in a 1-3 start. New York does not have a kind schedule, with nine games against playoff teams (which doesn’t even account for the Cowboys with Owens on the roster.)
Frankly, seven wins is being generous. I could easily see New York winning five or six. Sorry New York fans, I don’t think this is going to be your year!
Really this is nothing new, but it does shoot down some speculation and rumors. Basically, Joey in VA, now my favorite BBI person emailed a Washington Post reporter and learned that the Giants made an offer to Arrington a few weeks ago. That offer hasn't changed.
Right now, it seems that Arrington is thinking things over and hoping more money will come from somewhere else. Anyone who said that Arringotn was close to signing must have been reading his mind...
Backup center and guard Grey Ruegamer will be a good backup for the Giants after signing a cheap one-year deal: $750,000 that included a $40,000 signing bonus, according to ESPN.
Ruegamer is 29, 6-foot-4, and 305-pounds. He is a seven-year veteran who played both guard and center (even a little tackle I've read) for Green Bay last season.
One wonders if the Giants have any interest in defensive tackle Grady Jackson, Green Bay's only remaining unrestricted free agent...
In other Giants related news, Dan Benton has come out of retirement. All I know is that when I retire I hope it lasts more than a couple days... Anyway, he's back because four of his "sources" told him a rumor about Lavar Arrington signing. Yes, the drama continues...
So Mike Garafolo is talking about Proehl coming to New York. Personally, I don't see the point and hope the Giants aren't interested. It's not that Proehl can't play - he had 25 cathecs, 441 yards, and 4 touchdowns last season. But the Giants already have a bunch of receivers.
In the end, he might be a better 4th receiver than we have now. He might even win the third receiver spot. But will he be much better than Tyree, Carter, Taylor, et al.?
Apparently Dan Benton over at Giants 101 is calling it quits. Supposedly this is not an April Fool's joke, but frankly the guy should have waited a few days if he wanted to be taken seriously.
Anyway, lots of people are complaining about his blog. Common arguments include that Giants 101 does nothing but summarize stupid rumors on message boards like BBI. Anyway, rumor has it that poor Dan has received death threats. Again, a little hard to believe, especially on the first day of April...
Interestingly, as Dan steps down in order to be a fan again (he says he wants to be surprised when he hears about new signings) he implies that he has inside information. After all, if the signings don't surprise him, then he already knew about them - even before regualr news outlets.
There's the probelm. The rumors posted on Giants 101 are always wrong, so Dan should be surprised when he hears about a new signing on ESPN. I don't believe for a second that he's quitting in order to be surprised again.
I read on his blog once that he's not an insder but that he has lots of contacts who sometimes pass him good information. Naturally, people would read his blog looking for this "good information." Naturally, they'll be upset when all the information turns out to be crap.
The Giants have raised season tickets $5.00. The team's new ticket prices are $75 for the upper and lower tiers and $85 for mezzanine seating. Last season the Giants gross average ticket price of $73.57 ranked 11th out of the 32 teams.