NFL-Giants: NY Giants football news

Kenny Phillips & Dhani Jones int he news

This quickie from Paul Schwartz tells us that the Giants expect Kenny Phillips to earn some playing time at free safety this season. Personally considering the lack of depth we have at free safety I'd be shocked if he didn't get to play there at least some.

And turning to former Giants, apparently Dhani Jones is making news playing non-American sports.

Antonio Pierce

This is a nice article on Antonio Pierce enjoying the Giants Super Bowl win. A lot of fans got down on him at times this season - well we got down on the entire defense a lot of times - but what Pierce helped the giants do in the Super Bowl was just amazing.

Sure he made an error or two - the pass intereference call for example. But he had 10 tackles and had our guys in what must have been the right positions all game.

Is Plax the 9th best receiver in the NFL?

ESPN says:

1. Randy Moss
2. Terrell Owens
3. Steve Smith
4. Andre Johnson
5. Reggie Wayne
6. Larry Fitzgerald
7. Braylon Edwards
8. Chad Johnson
9. Plaxico Burress

I say:

1. Steve Smith
2. Andre Johnson
3. Reggie Wayne
4. Plaxico Burress
5. Randy Moss
6. Terrell Owens
7. Braylon Edwards
8. Larry Fitzgerald
9. Chad Johnson

Moss was mostly held in check in a few games including the Super Bowl. Plax, even though he was injured, proved harder to shut down. Owens drops too many balls. Fitzgerald has an awesome receiver next to him and does not take control of games.

Seubert wants to finish his career with the Giants

I think this is awesome. Seubert signed through 2012 even though he had 2 years left on his contract because he wants to finish his career with the Giants. How do I have a friggin Tiki Barber jersey and no Rich Seubert jersey?

Aaron Ross

No one is complaining about this draft choice now although many draft "experts" and many Giants fans were a bit nonplussed at the time... Anyway, here's an article on Aaron Ross. There's really not much to it, but he's getting married in 2010 and has a few quotes in there.

David Carr now a Giant, Danny Clark too

David Carr likely becomes a backup QB (with either Wright or Lorenzen on the way out). This is not a sure thing - he still has to win a spot on the roster - but I like his chances. Apparently 1 year for 1 million.

Danny Clark is expected to play on special teams and provide depth at strong side linebacker.

Giants interested in David Carr

Here we talk about David Carr - what do you think about having him as a backup QB?

David Tyree

This article on David Tyree mixes some stuff on his life (4 kids including new twins, cashing in on fame) and football. My favorite part is this:

He hopes this will force the Giants to think of him more as a receiver instead of exclusively a special-teams demon but also knows the deal. He's especially proud of the fact that after his Super Bowl touchdown, he raced down on the ensuing kickoff and made the tackle.

Brian Kelly comes and goes - unlikely to sign with Giants

This according to Vacchiano. The comments are pretty interesting. One says we let our answer to the secondary problem walk right out the door. Another says are secondary is set except for the safety we will draft.

I suppose the truth is in the middle somewhere. Butler and Johnson are unknown quantities at this point (at least I think Butler is unknown - had lots of rough patches but kept things in front of him in the Super Bowl) and Sammy Knight is known but average. Safety needs help and I don't know if we want to enter the draft with a huge need that could cause the Giants to reach and mess up the draft (Cedric Jones anyone?).

CB is in better shape. Ross looks like the real deal. Webster seems to be turning it on. Madison can still play. McQaurters has been solid. But Madison and McQuarters can not be counted on long term and Madison has missed time with injuries lately...

Brian Kelly comes and goes - unlikely to sign with Giants

This according to Vacchiano. The comments are pretty interesting. One says we let our answer to the secondary problem walk right out the door. Another says are secondary is set except for the safety we will draft.

I suppose the truth is in the middle somewhere. Butler and Johnson are unknown quantities at this point (at least I think Butler is unknown - had lots of rough patches but kept things in front of him in the Super Bowl) and Sammy Knight is known but average. Safety needs help and I don't know if we want to enter the draft with a huge need that could cause the Giants to reach and mess up the draft (Cedric Jones anyone?).

CB is in better shape. Ross looks like the real deal. Webster seems to be turning it on. Madison can still play. McQaurters has been solid. But Madison and McQuarters can not be counted on long term and Madison has missed time with injuries lately...

Sammy Knight now a Giant

So we lost Gibril Wilson but we gained Sammy Knight. Sure knight is older, but Brent Alexander was old and still played decently. At 3 years, $5.15 million, $1.25 million signing bonus he certainly comes much cheaper than Wilson.

Sure he is older. And slower. But Coughlin said something that made me feel good: "He played in Kansas City for (Defensive Backs/Cornerbacks Coach) Peter Giunta, so we know all about the quality of the man."

This article came out before the signing I think, but since they mention the Eagles and Giants on the first page I figure it's worth a read. And near the end he says something I'd like to believe: "Free agency is overrated, and the proof is the 2007 Giants."

Remember Sammy Knight?

Some news: Safety Sammy Knight to visit Giants. The link has that cool picture of Toomer burning Knight for a TD...

Knight is 33, but if he has one decent year left he can probably help the Giants. We do need help at safety...

But he is old and slow. The Giants can't afford to give him much guaranteed money...

Time for Giants fans to be patient

Wilson to the Raiders.
Mitchell to the Bills.
Torbor to the Dolphins.
William Joseph's contract terminated (not that we care).

We are losing pieces of a winning combination and it can be hard to wait patiently. We are real thin at safety now. Scary thin like Peewee Hermin. We have more depth at linebacker than at safety but losing 2 backers still hurts.

Tuck signed through 2013

This article has some details on Justin Tuck's contract extension. Seems to me that the Giants got a bargain.

Giants signed PK Lawrence Tynes to a five-year deal, $7 million deal

Well one of the questions I just asked has already been answered. Soon we should have details on signing bonus and incentives and whatnot but for now all I know is that Tynes signed a 5 year deal and will be paid $7,000,000.

This is not a huge commitment on the Giants part so it doesn't meen he is our kicker for the next 5 years. But it almost certainly means we're sticking with him for a year or two (at least).

Which Giants deserve raises? Which ones need to go?

This article raises some interesting points regarding Giants personnel. First Strahan is still great and he will want more than 4 million to come back next year.Do the Ginats really need him? Sure Tuck looks ready to take over but then who will rush from the DT spot and how are we on depth?

Second, Diehl deserves left tackle money.

Third, should we try to trade Shockey? Honestly, since he is somewhat injury prone I don't think there's a whole lot of value in a trade. He's good when healthy (when he holds onto the ball) so unless we get a nice player or pick in return we probably keep him.

Fourth, we have some free agents on defense. Kawika Mitchell played well enough. Reggie Torbor filled in well for Kiwanuka. Gibril Wilson is unrestricted and James Butler is RFA. We complained about the safeties a lot this season but they did win us a Super Bowl...

Fifth, Derrick Ward is an unrestricted free agent. While it would be nice to sign him, considering how often he sees the field I don't think he's worth big bucks.

Sixth, when do you extend guys like Jacobs, Snee, and Manning? These are core guys and Jacobs is entering the final year of his rookie contract...

Finally, do we get a new kicker. Tynes had that kick in Green Bay but he wasn't exactly Mr. Consistent out there...

Giants running game

Here's an article on the Giants run game. It focuses on Jacobs and Bradshaw for the most part and while those guys are exciting, success in the run game is really going to come from the offensive line, the tight end, and Madison Hedgecock.

Hedgecock will be especially important because the Patriots linebackers are good at shedding blocks.

Strahan on the Super Bowl

This Newsday article has a lot of Strahan quotes on the Super Bowl. As the second oldest guy on the team, and as a guy who has been to a Super Bowl before, it is his job to talk to younger Giants about the big game.

Corey Webster emerging as a solid CB for the Giants

Every corner gets beat. Some get beat less often and some make interceptions once in a while. Corey Webster is turning into one of the ones who doesn't get beat often and who sometimes helps the Giants win the turnover battle.

This article talks about Webster. I wish it would get into more detail, like who he will line up against when we play the Patriots because the Giants secondary vs. the Patriots receivers is going to be huge.

Sometimes the Patriots hardly run the ball (defying conventional wisdom) and use short passes to keep the chains moving. And then they are more than willing to take shots down the field. I don't have much confidence in our safeties so it really is CBs like Webster, Madison, McQuarters, Ross, and maybe Dockery who are going to have to defend well against both the bombs and the quick passes.

Obviously the Giants linebackers will have to do their part in the short passing game as well, but that's another story...

Will the Giants run on the Patriots?

This article on Brandon Jacobs and Vince Wilfork doesn't get into the real question - can the Giants run on the Patriots?

Jacobs did a good job getting positive yardage on first and second down when the Giants and Patriots played a few weeks ago. He had a few real nice runs, running over Rodney Harrison on one play and jumping over him on another. Bill Belechik might have a better plan for stopping Jacobs this time around. They don't call the guy brilliant for nothing.

What the Giants didn't have in that game was Ahmad Bradshaw and this guy has proven to be a good runner.

I like the Giants chances in the super bowl. If they can run the ball then the game could be decided by turnovers (assuming New England's offense is succesful). Our corners can catch (anyone miss Will Allen?) and our offensive guys usually hold onto the ball.

Can we count on Tynes in the Super Bowl?

The Giants kicking game has had some trouble this year and had some trouble in Green Bay. Alford hasn't been the best snapper and Tynes has been even more inconsistent. Interestingly, he is still confident enough to hace made up Coughlin's mind about what to do in over time by running out onto the field before Coughlin called for a field goal attempt.

Is Manning a cold weather QB?

This article talks about the temperature in Green Bay but not the question Giants fans are pondering - Can Manning handle the cold?

Of course in a perfect world the Giants would just run the ball and dominate on defense but I don't see the Giants dominating in the running game any more. The defense was decent against Dallas but not great. They didn't look real tough against the run for one thing.

The article also has a funny quote from Strahan: "I guarantee you Justin Tuck's goose bumps will be bigger than his muscles." I guess Strahan won't be sleeveless in the cold.

Happy New Year everyone including Eli

Eli has been getting cursed out by many Giants fans for a while now, but suddenly people are asking if he is the real deal instead of a bust. What a difference a game makes.

But still, that article I link to asks if the Giants could move on without Eli. I don't see a better replacement on the horizon, do you?

Eli Manning humilates the Giants in one of the worst games I've ever watched

There are no excuses for the way eli Manning played against the Vikings and their - let's not forget - terrible pass defense. In a disgusting game, Manning through terrible balls all over the field and all Giants fans paid for it with 3 interceptions returned for touchdowns. Another led to a 4th easy TD.

4 interceptions is just plain lousy especailly against the Vikings. Giants players were kind not to throw Eli under the bus. Perhaps Seubert said it best: "Obviously things didn’t go the way we wanted them to," said LG Rich Seubert. "We just couldn’t get it turned around. This is on all of us. It is probably the worst game I have been a part of as a New York Giant. I’m embarrassed, and I’m sure a lot of other guys are here, too. We have to find a way to turn it around. We are still 7-4. We have five big games left."

Let's just hope we don't have to watch another game this crappy for a long long time.

Manning and the cold weather

Here's an interesting article about Eli Manning in cold weather. He and Burress seem confident that he can avoid the problems he had at the end of past seasons. I sure hope so...

Giants lose to Cowboys

The Giants played the Cowboys even in the first half. In the second half, some stupid penalties wiped out some big plays and the Cowboys outplayed the Giants for the win.

The Cowboys offense really outplayed the Giants defense - Romo didn't see much pressure (Eli did) and our coverage wasn't too hot either. Dallas was able to convert on third down when it counted and it didn't look like our defenders were ever in a position to stop them.

Do you blame the coaches or the players (or both)?

Sam Madison earns some praise

Just a quick link to an article on Sam Madison, who is playing well this year. He credits the new defensive system and being healthy with his improved performance.

More love for David Diehl

Yesterday i wrote about how well Diehl is playing and how the draft "experts" are much much dumber than the average fan (me). Anyway, here we have an article giving Diehl some more love.

Unfortunately for Petigout, he got hurt again. The Giants clearly made the right move though I wasn't so sure at the time.

Derrick Ward is a good running back

Anyone else impressed with Derrick Ward?

I knwo I am. He is getting kudos from the media. Plus he seems to get along well with his offensive line since he and O'hara give each other lots of credit.

Now you figure Jacobs will get his job back in a couple of weeks. That seems to be how it works - but it's not as much as a give as it was in week 1 when he went down. Now Ward has earned playing time and Giants coaches have some thinking to do.

What does Antonio Pierce have in common with all Giants fans?

He doesn't want to talk about the Giants defense. He has an air horn to prove it.

"I want to talk about the Redskins. I don't want to talk about our defense," Pierce said, as if the two were mutually exclusive.

Sadly, the Giants defense has been mutually exclusive with all things football the first two games,,,

Ahmad Bradshaw quite a draft day steal

Here's an interesting story about Ahmad Bradshaw. He's clearly got more talent than you're average 7th rounder but character concerns dropped him way down in the draft. So far it looks like the Giants are getting a bargain - kick returner plus change of pace back for 7th round pick money.

Who's playing for the giants?

Strahan is coming back. I'm not sure how much he'll play due to conditioning and not knowing the new playbook, but I'm sure he'll play at least some.

Demps is gone, which leaves an interesting safety situation:

The Giants cut down to the 53-man roster limit yesterday and the move with Demps was by far the most significant. His imminent release leaves the Giants with two rookies, Craig Dahl and Michael Johnson, backing up Gibril Wilson and James Butler at safety. The team also waived J.R. Reed.

Hasselbeck is gone and so are a few other people you may have heard of:

In addition to Hasselbeck, other Giants released on Saturday were defensive tackle Tui Alailafaleula, cornerback Darren Barnett, tight end Charles Davis, linebacker James Davis, defensive end Tommy Davis, offensive lineman Jon Dunn, defensive end Marquis Gunn, kicker Josh Huston, offensive lineman Justin Jones, offensive lineman Ryan Keenan, offensive lineman Matt Lentz, wide receiver Brandon London, offensive lineman Todd Londot (waived/injured), wide receiver Kevin McMahan, cornerback Gerrick McPhearson, punter Cory Ohnesorge, safety J.R. Reed, defensive tackle Jonas Seawright, linebacker Tyson Smith and cornerback E.J. Underwood.

4 of those 52 are now injured: The Giants will start the season with a couple of injured players on the roster - special teams star David Tyree (wrist), starting CB Sam Madison (hamstring), backup G Grey Ruegamer (ankle) and backup LB Gerris Wilkinson (knee).

Ryan Kuehl on IR

Giants long-snapper Ryan Kuehl was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a calf injury.

According to USA Today, "Rookie linebacker Zak DeOssie will handle the snaps on punts, and rookie defensive tackle Jay Aford will snap on field goals and extra points."

Considering that one bad snap can cost you a game, but also realizing that this frees up a roster spot, I suspect we'll see pretty mixed reactions on how this affects the Giants. naturally we're all sorry to see a guy get hurt, but does losing Kuehl really hurt the Giants much?

Tuck playing well but wants Strahan to return

The articles on Justin Tuck have arrived. How three authors managed to write the same piece is a bit strange, but whatever.

Paul Schwartz talks about how Tuck is playing well but anxious for Strahan to return.

Arthur Staple makes most of the same points with most of the same quotes.

Vinny DiTriani also worte pretty much the same article.

Strahan or Tuck?

There's nothing official, but Strahan seems likely to return soon.

I don't know if he can make it through a full season, but I'd like to see him back anyway. Then again, maybe it's time for the Justin Tuck era to begin...

How much will Corey Webster contribute in 2007-08?

I loved the Corey Webster draft pick, but like most Giants fans have been waiting for him to make a bigger contribution. As Mike Garafolo says, now is the time for Webster: "Health, check. System, check. Opportunity, check. No more excuses for why the 2004 second-round pick can't be an effective NFL starter."

If Webster does become a solid NFL starting CB, the Giants should have a strong defense. The defensive line and the CBs would be strengths. The safeties and the linebackers should be reasonably good, but we can't expect greatness there. Our strength needs to come from our line first and then hopefully our corners.

Giants beat Ravens but suffer injuries

It was ahrd for Giants fans to celebrate after beating the Ravens since the injuries started coming early and often:

WR Michael Jennings tore his left Achilles' tendon and will miss the 2007 NFL season.
S Will Demps dislocated his right elbow.
CB Sam Madison pulled his left hamstring.
C Grey Ruegamer suffered a high right ankle sprain.
WR Steve Smith suffered a concussion.
TE Jeremy Shockey had his leg wrapped but this wasn't considered an injury.

Ouch!

After listening to the Giants game online (WFAN)

I came away a bit disappointed but hey - it's only the preseason. It sounded like our first string offensive line played well enough against tough opposition (Carolina's defensive line is a strength for them).

Then I found this article on David Diehl with a really interesting note on his training:

At home in his native Chicago, Diehl began working two hours a day, six days a week with Tim Grover, a trainer who Diehl said formerly worked with Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

“It was a lot of agility, speed and footwork drills,” Diehl said. “You can translate playing left tackle into playing defense in basketball. The guy opposite you is the guy with the ball, and he’s trying to drive on you to the basket. He can fake, shake or try to bull right at you. You have to get in position to stop him.”

By the way, listening on the radio because I was in Boston for my sister's wedding got me in a bit of trouble, something about being anti-social. Which is crap - I invited some of the guys to listen with me but they wanted to party in the hotel lobby...

After listening to the Giants game online (WFAN)

I came away a bit disappointed but hey - it's only the preseason. It sounded like our first string offensive line played well enough against tough opposition (Carolina's defensive line is a strength for them).

Then I found this article on David Diehl with a really interesting note on his training:

At home in his native Chicago, Diehl began working two hours a day, six days a week with Tim Grover, a trainer who Diehl said formerly worked with Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

“It was a lot of agility, speed and footwork drills,” Diehl said. “You can translate playing left tackle into playing defense in basketball. The guy opposite you is the guy with the ball, and he’s trying to drive on you to the basket. He can fake, shake or try to bull right at you. You have to get in position to stop him.”

By the way, listening on the radio because I was in Boston for my sister's wedding got me in a bit of trouble, something about being anti-social. Which is crap - I invited some of the guys to listen with me but they wanted to party in the hotel lobby...

Back from vacation - busy with sister's wedding - wondering how our linebackers will play

For me, one of the most important questions to answer this preseason is how well Mitchell - Pierce - Kiwanuka can play the Giants 3 linebacker spots.

Mitchell, of course, is the starter on the weakside. Wilkinson won't be back for a month.

Kiwanuka still has to prove he can cover.

Giants training camp brings plenty of articles

We can expect the Giants secondary to be more exciting this year. That means more physical according to Arthur Staple.

We might also expect Tuck to be back and healthy this season according to Vinny DiTriani. However, I'm not sure I can trust aguy who says Strahan is a pass-rush specialist at this point in his career. Sure Strahan is old, but he still plays the run.

At the end of DiTriani's article, he does have some stuff from training camp. SI.com has Don Banks postcard from camp, which doesn't actually talk much about what's happening in camp.

Here's an interesting Garafolo article on Eli Manning's progress at camp. Of course every year so far we've heard of great progress but somehow it doesn't last to the end of the season...

Barbara Barker manages to write a whole article on Manning without actually saying much. Supposedly the article is about his leadership...

John Branch also talks about leadership in an article that seems more substantial.

Strahan not in camp, possibly retiring, possibly looking for more money

Apparently Strahan is not in camp.

Lots of Giants fans joked about his divorce proceedings, saying that now he'd have to play and play hard since he can't afford to retire. The fans may have been wrong since reports are that Strahan might retire.

However, there is also speculation that this might be a ploy to get more money for playing. Considering his recent injury history, I don't see more money coming.

"Last night I talked to his agent, about 7 last night, and his agent said to me that he was contemplating retiring," said General Manager Jerry Reese. "So that is all I know right now. We have not spoken to him. We will put him on Reserve/Did-Not-Report-to-Camp, so that is what we will do with him for now. Until we get more details, that is really all I can tell you guys."

Steve Serby is critical, while Palladino adds Strahan to a list of question marks.

For now, William Joseph is at LDE according to the New York Times.

Nothing much to report re. Giants news

We've got a couple of updates from Antonio Pierce and Eli Manning.

And in a weird one, the Giants seem to be scouting a soccer player. A bunch of NFL teams seem interested, although this crazy paper thinks someone might pay 10 million a season (5 million pounds). For a kicker?

Which Giants are performing this Spring?

W've got a bit on several Giants players here and here. Seems that Kevin Boss and Ahmad Bradshaw are impressing on offense while Eli Manning and J-Load are not. Diehl is outplaying Whimper at left tackle by a lot.

And in some funny Redskins news, their #1 draft pick got shot in the nuts, possibly by a teammate playing paintball.

Giants fullback question: Robert Douglas?

"I have been impressed with what Robert Douglas has been able to do," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "But of course we don't have pads on yet, either."

Douglas is the Giants only fullback right now though some competition is likely. That article said he was 248 but Giants.com says 230 which is abit small for a fullback. Garafolo says he's listed at 230 but claims to be 248.

Paul Schwartz implies this was all part of the master plan - the Giants signed Douglas because they thought he could take over for Finn.

Anyway, with Jacobs at 265, Droughns at 235, Ward at 230, and a fullback (whoever it may be) at 240-250, the Giants will have a big backfield. I'm looking forward to it.

Jim Finn's season over - Giants have a problem at fullback

Jim Finn won't be at the Giants' 3-Day Veteran Mini-Camp and he won't play for the Giants in 2007 as he's now on IR. He probably won't play on the Giants again.

Jessie Armstead retired a Giant, but Petigout sounds like he won't since he still has some bad feelings.

Speaking of former Giants, Hufnagel might go back to the CFL.

Articles on Eli and his receivers - passing more in 2007-2008?

We have a good article on Eli that gives us a fair assessment (he's not the franchise QB we were hoping he was) and has some interesting quotes from Eli on playing in New York.

The Giants.com OTA report on receivers starts off with something absolutely sickening - the idea that we should throw the ball more. Haven't we Giants fans been having a hard enough time? We've got Droughns and Jacobs plus a good offensive line - let's run more than we throw from now on, ok?

I know, I know. Without Tiki, the running game is a question mark. Well so is Eli's accuracy and if there's one thing we know it's that the Giants like to start passing when running is working well and leading us to a win. Now I love my team, but sometimes abandoning the run made me sick last season. Can we please not talk about passing more? Less would be OK.

Shockey getting stronger

Shockey is bigger than he has ever been - he says it will help his blocking and has made him faster. But he's still the same Shockey.

Guard Zach Piller is the Giants' newest arrival.

Which Giants are practicing where?

The big news in Giants country is Shockey and Burress not practicing with Manning at the voluntary workouts. I don't really care for the drama that happens every year. Manning seems to be tired of the drama as well.

More interesting is what's going on with left tackle - Diehl and Whimper don't know who's playing where yet.

Of course Jacobs is also getting his share of attention. I also think he'll put up big numbers.

Interesting article on the deOssie family

This article talks a lot about Zac DeOssie's mom - she sounds like a wonderful lady but let's hope that Zac doesn't become a pediatrician for a long long time...

Speaking of doctors, I am home and getting better. I'm not supposed to work out for 2 weeks and right now I have trouble finding a comfortable position to sit or lie down, but I'm getting better.

Tynes in, Hickock out for Giants

The Giants have traded for PK Lawrence Tynes, who they got from the chiefs for a conditional pick (7th rounder or 6th rounder depending on performance).

They have released PK Marc Hickok.

Over three seasons, Tynes was 68 for 87 (78.2 percent) on field goal attempts (6 for 11 over 50) and 137-of-141 on extra point attempts. Tynes was also 6-of-11 on field goal attempts from 50 yards or more.

I'm not usre how his kickoffs or salary compare to Jay Feeley, who the Giants allowed to leave via free agency.

Newsday reports that the Chiefs wanted to give their 5th round pick the job so no longer need Tynes. Medlock is the kicker in KC, will Tynes be the kicker for the Giants?

David Diehl at left tackle

This article has some interesting quotes from David Diehl, but ultimately fails because it doesn't mention Guy Whimper. It also doesn't mention that Joe Staley (it doesmention Staley when it talks about poor draft grades the Giants got for not drafting him) probably won't be a starter from Day 1 and certainly is no more a sure thign than Diehl. The chances of Staley outplaying Diehl this year or next are pretty close to zero. I wrote that before.

This article on Koets mentions Diehl briefly. It will be interesting to see if the Giants make room on the roster for Koets. If they intend to keep him they probably shoud considering how they lost Goddard to the Packers last year thanks to a stupid roster move. I can't even remember which guy took his roster spot, but I remember he barely played and never helped.

Some more articles on Giants minicamp

We'll start with an article on Kevin Boss, how he respects Shockey and has never played in front of more than 10,000 people.

Steve Smith is more polished than Boss and everyone else at the Giants rookie mini camp including Ross who is very good at washing cars. I used to detail cars too, so I guess we have that in common... Anyway, regarding Ross. Apparently he didn't impress the reporters but Coughlin says he like what he sees. As long as he has potential to get better and wants to work hard (and why wouldn't he when he has to compete with a gold medalist in his relationship) I think we can relax.

New Giants pass catchers

We have an interesting article on Steve Smith and how USC got him ready for the NFL. What we traditionalists hope he's wrong about is this: "With the departure of Tiki , I'm sure we'll be throwing the ball more," he said. "We've got a great passing attack and I just want to be one of the weapons."

If you're like me, you hope we'll throw the ball less than last year. If Jacobs and Droughns get 35 carries (20-25 for Jacobs, the rest for Droughns) per game I think the other team will go home sore and we have a better chance of winning than if we put the ball in the air 40 times a game.

We've got an interesting article on Kevin Boss that covers how basketball helps prepare an NFL TE and how his shoulder is not yet 100% but will be close by training camp. It also talks bout how he wants to find another trainer to supplement his work with Giants trainers. That struck me as odd - you'd think the Giants could help him 24 hours a day if he wanted but he has to go somewhere else. I guess it's those crazy NFLPA rules about not making football players work too hard to earn their millions.

Then there are the Giants pass cathcers everyone has forgotten about. Will Tyree earn playing time after not doing much with the opportunity last year? Will Sinorice Moss do anything?

Giants 2007 rookies and minicamp action

Rookie minicamp is kind fo weird because of the 50 players there we'll probably see fewer than 10 on the team. But we've got articles on some of the guys who are locks to make the team like Kevin Boss and Jay Alford.

We don't have any pictures of those guys, but there are some of Aaron Ross and some other players. We've got an explanation on why Aaron Ross missed two years of football at Texas (the people at the NCAA are a bunch of idiots). You can also find out how he did at his first practice (not so good).

Ahmad Bradshaw is no lock to make the team but he has a shot as the #3 running back plus he returns kicks and punts. He also needs to stay out of trouble, but is underage posession of alcohol and taking a PlayStation from an unlocked dorm room really trouble? I mean taking someone's PlayStation makes you an ass but not a criminal...

Two other Giants who might not make the team are Josh Huston and Marc Hickock: "If they are not kicking worth a [darn] we'll go get a veteran," Giants general manager Jerry Reese said. "But right now, they are kicking pretty good."

We've also got an intersesting article on the Giants defense and their new coordinator.

Giants will continue the stretch play with Jacobs

I think you have to have different running plays - we're often complaining the Giants are too predictable. If they sometimes run Jacobs up the middle, sometimes rune the stretch, sometimes run off tackle, etc. it should be harder for opposing defenses to defend our offense.

Anyway, this article talks about Jacobs being the Giants main runner:

"I think this guy can [run the stretch], he's faster, he's faster than Tiki," Gilbride said. "It was his ability to cut back that made Tiki special. That's what I don't know [with Jacobs]. But we're definitely going to have those plays. At this point it still will be a core play, a base play, for us.

"Will it be as good a play? That remains to be seen."

Eli practicing with Plaxico Burress - will Shockey follow?

Eli Manning is throwing and Arthur Staple talks about his favorite target. Steve Smith is not there yet.

John Branch quotes Plaxico saying that Shockey will probably show up in New York.

All the other newspapers have similar articles with similar quotes and commentary.

Can we have the old Gibril Wilson back please? A new Will Demps would be nice too...

When Gibril Wilson first saw real playing time with the giants hw became a fan favorite. His play was agreesive and exciting. Now he's about as exciting as a trip to the backyard.

Can he get the old aggressiveness back? There is a plan in the works:

"Don't worry about making mistakes," Merritt said. "Go out there and play ball. That was one of the things I think he thought of the past few years: 'I don't want to be wrong, I want to be right every step.' You need to let it go. Go out there and play. If you are out there concerned about making a mistake, you are bound to make a mistake."

Plaxico Burress to practice with Eli in New York

Not much else to say really. Plaxico is coming to New York instead of spending all his time in Miami. I'm not sure about Shockey.

UDFA Harvard DT trying to move to fullback

This article talks about Mike Berg. He's the only fullback the Giants have invited to camp other than Jim Finn.

The Giants search for a fullback should include more than a Harvard DT, and many fans are wondering why all the UDFA fullbacks are signing with other teams. At least the Giants are going to look at a couple of other guys, Jonathan Evans and James Hodgins.

Kiwanuka moving to SAM

Last year's #1, Matthias Kiwanuka, is going to have a try at playing SAM. Kawika Mitchell, who I assumed would play SAM, will compete with Wilkinson at WILL. Obviously Pierce will play in the middle.

SAM = Mathias Kiwanuka / Zak DeOssie / Reggie Torbor
MLB = Antonio Pierce / Chase Blackburn
WLB = Gerris Wilkinson / Kawika Mitchell

I'm beginning to think that things aren't looking good for Torbor. His strength was rushing the passer but Kiwi should be as good or better doing that.

Marc Hitchcock vs. Josh Huston

The Giants signed Marc Hickok to compete with Josh Huston in training camp. Better than nothing I guess but it's hard to get excited about a guy who couldn't make an NFL Europe squad. At least he's a Giants fan.

We've also got an article on David Diehl who talks about switching positions and power running.

Giants news: new DT & DB & backup QB

Giants sign QB Anthony wright, defensive tackle Marcus Bell and defensive back Michael Stone. Wright is a mobile QB with a strong arm and accuracy problems. That makes for a good backup because you don't have to change the playcalling for him (he has the arm to make any throw unlike Hasselback) and he can buy time when things go wrong (and they often do go wrong when the backup QB is in).

Marcus Bell is a nose tackle who can't really get to the QB much (86 games with 21 starts in his career and has recorded 165 tackles and 6.5 sacks) but holds the point of attack. He's not an every down player, especially because coditioning is a concern.

Michael Stone has played in 52 games (17 special teams tackles for Arizona in 2004 and then again for the Patriots in 2005). I'm not sure what this means for Jason Bell who is a special teams guy / DB much like stone is. Can the Giants have two DBs on the roster who don't really play in the secondary much but who are good special teams guys? Stone is sort of a Safety/CB tweener who did have one decent season as a DB with the Patriots in 2005 (46 tackles in 13 games, 3 starts).

It's interesting to see Reese make a fairly risky move in cutting Petigout and then make a number of smaller, safer moves like trading Carter for Droughns, signing Kawika Mitchell, and now these new guys.

Giants spek: Droughns, Cofield, McKenzie

We don't see many articles on the Giants these days (but there are lots of copies of the schedule floating around. Here's one.

Droughns says he's ready to do some winning now that he's not in Cleveland while Cofield says the schedule can't be as bad as last year.McKenzie said he's never been to Europe so he's looking forward to the Giants vs. Dolphins game in London.

If I made the money that NFL players make, I'd be in Europe pretty often but whatever. Here are some travel tips for the Giants who have never been to England. Let's just hope they saty away from Amsterdam which is pretty close...

Anyway, lots to do in England. Tourists could do some ghost hunting in Pengersick Castle (in Cornwall in the United Kingdom), or do some movie tourism (DaVinci Code tourism or Robinhood or Harry Potter). Here's a more in depth England vacation itinerary.

I know the Giants won't really be vacationing in England, but I have to blog about something and there's not much going on as far as Giants news...

Should we have kept Luke Petigout?

I continue to wonder about cutting Luke. There was the injury risk, but he was a good left tackle and those are hard to replace. The Bucs seem happy (probably unrealistically happy) they got him.

Dreams and Giants history

While we dream of trading our #20 for Lance Briggs or drafting a stud linebacker, ESPN guys talk about our all-time favorite linebacker, LT.

And if you've got time, come give my Squidoo sports tourism lens an awesometastic (5 star) rating. If you're not sure that I deserve the 5 stars, watch the video of the Japanese woman throwing out the first pitch. I'm sure that after seeing the video (wait for the slowmo) you'll be very generous with your ratings.

How bad will the Giants suck in 2007-08?

This New York Times article is pretty critical of the Giants offseason: "It could be argued that the Giants have not been improved at any position."

I suppose we could argue that. Kawika Mitchell may be an improvement on the strong side (Brandon Short and Carlos Emmons are gone). I had no problem with Short, but if Mitchell can do an equal job, he is younger than Short so that's an improvement.

Otherwise any improvements need to come organically. Will Eli Manning show some consistency? Will Barry Cofield grow or trail off the way Gibril Wilson seemd to his second year? Will Demps played better toward the end of last season - does he continue to improve? Can Wilkinson step at at WLB?

The Giants need some yes answers to those questions. Will Diehl be a better LT than Petigout? Doubtful. Will Whimper be a better backup than Whitfield? Possibly but not likely. Who will replace Jay Feeley?

But it's not all bad. Can Tim Carter be replaced? Definitely. Are we excited about Jacobs and Droughns bruising the opponents defenses? Definitely.

So while the article paints a bleak picture, if the Giants can grow some of the current players on the roster things might look better real soon. If they can't then we could be in for another tough season, especially if Eli Manning doesn't deliver more consistent performances than last season.

Al Wilson fails Giants physical - no trade likely

ESPN is reporting that trade talks between the broncos and Giants got serious enough that Al Wilson came to NY for a physical which he failed because of his neck.

While Al Wilson plays tough and tough is what the Giants need, we don't need a 30 year-old injury risk with a big salary. I wish the guy were healthy and playing for Big Blue, but if he's not healthy you have to pass on the 30+ guys with injury concerns (see Emmons, Carlos - good in Philly, injured, sucky with the Giants).

Will the Texans match our offer for fullback Vonta Leach?

Vinny Ditriani won't guess one way or the other. He notes how Leach had an impressive impact on the Texans' Ron Dayne powered running attack. Leach's agent says it could go either way. Most Giants fans would like to see him coming to NY thinking that he's a more powerful lead blocker than the experienced Finn. I'm going to go with the reporters and not say anything useful because I don't know enough about Leach to comment on his play compared to Finn's. What do you guys think?

Brandon Jacobs and Reuben Droughns

Brandon Jacobs and Reuben Droughns have Giants fans hoping the coaches learn to keep the ball on the ground a bit more responsibly than last season. Brandon jacobs is getting stronger with Tiki Barber's old trainer. He emntions it briefly at the end of this video.

Giants trade Tim Carter for Reuben Droughns

The Giants reworked Reuben Droughns' contract (he was going to get cut by the Browns because of a $1.75-million roster bonus - Droughns salary was $1.25 million, $1.75 million and $2.75 million the next three seasons) and traded Tim carter for him.

This trade works for the Giants since Tim Carter never got anything done here. The Giants get a veteran running back with a similar style to Brandon Jacobs. Reuben Droughns is big and can catch. He's willing to play for Coughlin obviously: "I just know he's a good coach," Droughns told Sirius regarding Coughlin. "You hear your rumors and everything but his record speaks for itself. He does a good job getting the guys ready and prepared to play. I've had a lot of disciplinarian coaches in my past so I'm sure it won't be too much of a problem at all."

"Reuben rushed for 1,200 yards in '04 and '05 and 750 last year. We think he gives us a nice veteran presence and complements Brandon Jacobs and the rest of our running back group nicely," said Jerry Reese in a statement. "We wish Tim the best. I think it will be good for him to have a fresh start. We have some young receivers that we are ready to throw in the mix."

Droughns is 29 and was a starter in Cleveland. His production was only so so last season but considering the Browns offensive line, I don't think we can say that means he's lost anything. In 2004 Droughns rushed for a career-best 1,240 yards and six touchdowns. He's probably got a few good years left, especially as a backup.

The Giants would probably still like a smaller scat back. "We're kind of bruising type of backs," Droughns said of himself and Jacobs during an interview with Sirius Radio this afternoon. "We'll be able to wear down a lot of defenses. Teams are going to get very tired when it comes to the fourth quarter."

The Giants still need some receivers in addition to smaller back. Kevin Curtis visited...

Feeley signing with Miami leaving Giants with Josh Huston

The Giants continue to frustrate fans by losing players and not signing anyone new. Now that Feeley is going to Miami, Ernie palladino says we've made a mistake, while Ralph Vacchiano explains why we shouldn't count on Josh Huston.

For the optimists out there, Mike Garafolo says we are still looking to sign players (at least we haven't given up!). LB Donnie Edwards, RB Dominic Rhodes, CB Rod Hood, and S Deon Grant all get a mention.

Giants & free agency

Mike Garafolo says to keep an eye on Leonard Davis, who could possibly play left tackle or left guard, and Ike Reese, who is an older backup linebacker and special teams player.

Arthur Staple also mentions Davis and adds Joey Porter to the list of linebackers to keep an eye on.

The Redskins and Cowboys are also interested in Leonard Davis. The Redskins did well to sign London Fletcher. The 49ers are rebuilding their secondary the way the Giants wish they could with cornerback Nate Clements (8 years at 80 million). The way the salary cap is going up, that's not too much.

Giants sign O'Hara but won't sign Feeley

I think the giants are doing the smart thing by signing O'Hara and not signing Feeley. You wonder who's going to replace Feeley. Right now the Giants have only Josh Huston.

You also wonder who can replace Luke Petigout. the article i linked to above says Coughlin was "steadfastly against" cutting Luke. Can Diehl handle left tackle when he had some trouble at right tackle (back in 2004)? Cardinals left tackle Leonard Davis could be targeted here.

Also the Giants are bringing in former Colt Dominic Rhodes. If Rhodes can still return punts the Giants need him. He returned a punt for a TD in 2001 as a rookie vs. the Chiefs but I'm not sure he still has it in him. The Colts don't use him as a return man anymore and in 2005 he didn't scare anyone with his returns...

Giants comings and goings in early 2007

Here's an article on Brandon Jacobs' reaction to the death of Damien Nash. We all want to see what he can do even as we worry that Tiki Barber will prove impossible to replace. Here's some speculation that the Giants will give up a 2nd day pick for Mcahee.

Ryan Keuhl will be back. Shaun O'Hara may not be. Jay Feeley may not be.

Tiki Barber's classless move tarnishing the memory of Giants greatest running back

Giants fans should be talking about Tiki's retirement by remembering how he led us past the Chiefs or the Redskins. Instead we're talking about his mouth, which might be a little too big for his own good:

When Coughlin took over in 2004, Barber had three 1,000-yard seasons in seven years. His best rushing total was 1,387 yards. In his three seasons playing for Coughlin, he rushed for 1,518 yards, 1,860 yards and 1,662 yards. He also was transformed from a fumbler into a guy who never fumbled.

For that, Barber ripped the coach last week. Talk about classless.

Tom Coughlin is a much better man than Tiki Barber, who just might be one of the biggest fakes in all of sports.

Yes to Blackburn, maybe to Shiancoe

The Giants are close to signing Chase Blackburn. Good move. He's got Nick Greisen's heart and he's bigger.

There is some speculation that Shiancoe may not be resigned. Eh. Good blocker. OK receiver. Should be cheap enough to sign, but he doesn't block as well as a lineman and isn't a great receiving threat...

What is the Giants biggest need for 2007?

Vinny DiTrani isn't exactly going out on a limb when he calls linebacker the Giants biggest need. We have Pierce in the middle (and maybe DiTrani is going a bit crazy when he talks about moving Pierce to WLB). Short is OK depth. Emmons is not OK depth. Who really knows with Arrington and Wilkinson. It's not a good situation.

He thinks we're OK at safety but not at cornerback. I agree with him about the cornerbacks... He also says we're OK at receiver because Toomer will be back, Moss will be a factor, and Carter is not so bad. I have to disagree here. Carter had a chance this season and didn't do enough. Moss might be a factor but only an oracle can know for sure since he didn't show anything on the field. If Toomer picks up where he left off, the world is kinder than I thought it was.

Who's playing, who's not playing

It's not official, but it looks like Chris Weinke will start for the Panthers in tomorrow's game against the Giants. For the Giants, Jay Feely seems to be OK. Of course the Giants special teams are not OK.

There's also a fun article on Seubert and his role as the Giants blocking tightend.

Losing sucks, but the Dallas loss doesn't hurt as bad...

The Giants 23-20 loss to Dallas hurts, but sometimes you lose to a last second field goal. It happens.

It shouldn't have. Our kickoffs / kickoff coverage shouldn't be giving Dallas such nice field position. Our play calling shouldn't be so hard to understand. The defense should give up a 40+ yard completion to the tight end at the end of the 4th quarter. When it's 1st and goal we should usually get a TD.

Can the Giants come up with an upset victory over Dallas?

Getting Osi Umenyiora back is going to be huge, but Fred Robbins needs to continue kicking ass. Cowboys fans expect to win (and unlike our last meeting, this time they actually might) but are still scared: "While I feel confident in the Cowboys, this game scares me, too. The Giants are a wounded animal on their home turf and cornered."

Another Dallas article warns Cowboys fans not to bet on this one: Even though the Giants are children, bullies, and quitters, "The rise of Tony Romo has changed the NFC, but it also clouds the circumstance of this game. Dallas is favored on the road despite having lost to the Giants before, and that plays into a basic Vegas betting principle: Be wary of the home underdog within the division."

If the Giants don't win, Coughlin's job might be in jeopardy.

Giants returning to action in time for Dallas

This should help. Hopefully Madison, Umenyiora, and Short can help the Giants play a real football game instead of the crap we've been watching the last few weeks. One Giants player who misses critical tackles had this to offer: "You know you can't keep the same guys you break camp with," safety Will Demps said, "but getting closer to that is definitely going to give us the fire and energy we had when we were winning."

Now if Demps picks up his game as well we might have something good.

Giants getting healthier before the Cowboys game

Archie Manning says Eli will improve but maybe not in time for the Dallas game. Obviously we need Manning to outperform Romo (who says he is not dating Jessica Simpson).

The Cowboys seem to be in decent shape, though TO is talking too much. Here's an article that talks about how they aren't overlooking the Giants.

Hopefully we can outplay them even though they are healthier and have had longer to prepare and have momentum on their side. We might be getting some guys back as Osi Umenyiora (hip flexor), Brandon Short (quad), Sam Madison (hamstring), and Sinorice Moss (quad) all practiced yesterday. All four are questionable.

Why I'm mad at Will Demps and not Kiwanuka

Great Football Outsiders article says it better than I could:

The Titans’ game-tying drive involved the game’s oddest play. On fourth-and-10, Kiwanuka had Young in his grasp. Young made a pump-fake, and Kiwanuka, fearful of a roughing-the-passer penalty, released Young, who proceeded to scramble for a first-down.

This odd looking play has led to some condemnation for Kiwanuka, but this gaffe was certainly understandable. The NFL has seen a number of questionable roughing penalties, although not an overall increase. Had Young thrown the ball and Kiwanuka tackled him, the rookie would have been everyone’s goat for picking up a personal foul. A Tennessee drive had already been extended on a personal foul when Young was stopped short of a first down.

When he released Young, the quarterback still had over 15 yards to run for a first down, but Young evaded all tacklers. Will Demps had a perfect opportunity to make a game-winning tackle but missed. Demps’ failure is more cause for reproach than Kiwanuka’s.

Young’s feint raises a difficult problem for referees and the Competition Committee. Already, it seems that some quarterbacks are testing the rules by delaying their slides to the last minute or tiptoeing down the sideline, almost trying to induce the penalty. Protecting the quarterback is an important objective, but when players stop making legitimate plays for fear of a flag, the situation needs to be reexamined.

Did Vince Young outplay Eli Manning?

Before the game, I wrote about how I hoped we wouldn't have to watch another rookie QB outplay Manning. Yet, here's a Texans fan bragging about how Vince Young outplayed Eli Manning. Do you agree?

Articles on the Giants sucking

I'm not sure why any of us should go through the pain of reading the articles about how badly the Giants sucked against the Titans, but here they are:

Mike Garafolo on the game, Garafolo's much needed QB class for Manning, Shaun Powell on the Giants stink, and I suspect there are more but I'm not strong enough to keep looking for them.

Good thing you root for the team (not the players or coaches)

It's hard to root for Burress when the guy is a quitter. It's hard to root for Manning when the guy makes you wonder if J-Load can take over. It's hard to root for the coaches when they have too many flaws to list.

But it's easy to root for the Giants, even after blowing a 21 - 0 lead by giving up 24 in the 4th quarter. Only because I root for the team rather than the individuals can I hope these slackers kick some Cowboy ass next week and make the playoffs.

Giants sign Lance Legree - excellent move

I didn't even realize Legree was available until I heard the Giants signed him. I think this is a great move. He knows the Giants and has played well for us before. He can play DE or DT and with all out injuries we need some versatility. He doesn't seem to get hurt which is important - we all know how anooying it is when backups go down and we end up with guys recruited off the street (although that's how we recruited Legree actually).

Anyway, this move should help us. until we can get Osi and/or Strahan back.

Update on the Giants DEs: Tuck gone for the season

Defensive end Justin Tuck, who missed the last three games with a foot injury, will undergo surgery on Friday and miss the remainder of the season. The surgery will repair a Lisfranc injury and will include inserting screws into Tuck's foot. Dr. Robert Anderson will perform the surgery at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

We still don't ahve solid info on how much time Osi and Strahan will miss. I do hope that the Giants do some rotating - William Joseph can't play 50+ snaps at DE. Awasome needs to be rotated in some more.

What will the Giants do at left tackle?

Bob Whitfield is rightly mad at his performance on Sunday subbing for the injure Luke Petigout. By the way, no word on how long Petigout wil be out yet - all Coughlin said was that they haven't decided if he can return this season or not.

The problem is that Whitfield is too slow to handle a good speed rush. If the outside rush were the only problem a chip every play might be all that's needed. However, I think he can be beaten to the inside as well where it's much more difficult to get double team help.

Coughlin does mention that he's considering moving Diehl to left tackle. The Giants depth at guard is very good, so if he can handle the speed rush better than Whitfield that would be the way to go. Hopefully this thing will work itself out.

Giants work out Peter Warrick

Here's something on the Giants working out Peter Warrick from this article:

No team has been more decimated by injuries than the Giants, especially at wide receiver. Amani Toomer is out for the year, rookie Sinorice Moss has yet to play this season, and Plaxico Burress has been battling back spasms. This helps to explain why, on Monday, the day after their disheartening loss to the Chicago Bears, the Giants worked out former first-round pick Peter Warrick. The Bengals recently worked out Warrick, but opted to pass on him for the time being. But the Giants' need at wide receiver might be greater than the Bengals'.

Amani Toomer out for the season

Toomer is done for the year. If Burress doesn't play against the Bears, we'll be in a tough spot Sunday. We'll also need to add someone to the roster when Toomer is put on IR.

Articles from unusual sources

We have an article on Brandon Jacobs from a Kansas university paper and an article on Ryan Kuehl from a high school newspaper. Not surprisingly, both articles are better written than what we tend to get in the New York papers...

Demps learning Giants plays / coverages

Here's an interesting article on how Demps is helping the Gaints secondary improve by doing a better job getting guys in position. That might explain the Giants slow start on pass defense this year, but last year we had similar issues early in the season and Brent Alexander didn't have to get used to the offense the way Will Demps had to for the Giants. I guess what I'm saying is that Demps may not be the only reason for our improving pass defense.

What will the Giants do at SAM and DE?

Osi is listed as questionable but he probably won't play according to Coughlin. Tuck is listed as questionable and Coughlin says "we'll see." It seems that Kiwanuka is going to start. Awasom may be signed off the practice squad to provide depth at DE. The Giants are unfortunate that what was once their strongest position is now desparately in need of depth. 2 out of 4 DEs injured is tough to take. Kiwanuka talked about becoming an every down player some:

"Normally, if the coach sent me in, it was because they were going to pass, so I didn’t have to do much thinking on my own,” Kiwanuka said. “Now that I have to be out there the entire game, I have to think through what their formation is, what’s the situation, down and distance. It’s going to be a little different."

There are more articles on the topic, but they're not real informative. Here are some anyway: Newsday, the Daily News mentions a few other hurt guys like Madison and Demps.

And for a trip down Giants linebackers memory lane, remember when LT changed football?

What will the Giants do at SAM and DE?

Osi is listed as questionable but he probably won't play according to Coughlin. Tuck is listed as questionable and Coughlin says "we'll see." It seems that Kiwanuka is going to start. Awasom may be signed off the practice squad to provide depth at DE. The Giants are unfortunate that what was once their strongest position is now desparately in need of depth. 2 out of 4 DEs injured is tough to take. Kiwanuka talked about becoming an every down player some:

"Normally, if the coach sent me in, it was because they were going to pass, so I didn’t have to do much thinking on my own,” Kiwanuka said. “Now that I have to be out there the entire game, I have to think through what their formation is, what’s the situation, down and distance. It’s going to be a little different."

There are more articles on the topic, but they're not real informative. Here are some anyway: Newsday, the Daily News mentions a few other hurt guys like Madison and Demps.

And for a trip down Giants linebackers memory lane, remember when LT changed football?

Pierce fined for hitting Vick

Pierce hits Vick out of bounds (certainly not by much) and just got hit with a $12,500 fine. Brrokings hits a defenseless Eli (Eli is being propped up by two Falcons linemen) leaving his feet and leading with his helmet. Has he been fined?

Anyway, bring on the Cowboys! I think we're ready for them.

Tiki Barber retirement talk

Gary Meyers disapproves of Tiki Barber's timing in announcing his retirement. Will Tiki Barber's retirement talk be a distraction for the remainder of the season? I don't know, but I hope Meyers is wrong. Hopefully instead it will drive home the "must win now" mentality that we need.

Is the Giants D progressing?

Ernie Palladino has a good article on the Giants situation at WILL. Short is expected to start but also expected to play primarily on running downs while Wilkinson will play more in the base defense. With any luck, Wilkinson's speed will help him cover more ground in the Giants empty looking zone. Also, he jad a couple stops for no gain or loss against Seattle (coming in for Emmons) and if he makes a few more big stops like that we'll all be happy on Monday.

Well we'll be happy on Monday if we get good play from our WILL and if the secondary plays well. At least Coughlin says they are doing better in practice.

Where is the Big Blue defense?

Mike Garafolo writes that the secondary looks confused because Brent Alexander is no longer telling people what to do. This supposedly came from a few Giants players who didn't want their names used. My firs reaction was to dismiss this as pure craziness, but Will Demps, who replaced, Brent Alexander, is trying to take full responsibility for not getting communication in the secondary down. I still don't get it. Why don't the players know where to go without the free safety telling them what to do? Either the defense is too complicated or the players are too stupid. Or am I missing something?

Emmons will miss some time (anyone think he'll be back next year?) so we'll either see Brandon Short or Gerris Wilkinson at WILL. Maybe we'll see some beginner's luck with Wilkonson, similar to what Gibril Wilson experienced when he came on for an injured Shaun Williams his rookie season.

Onto the defensive line, Strahan is making little sense these days. He says Osi played well against Walter Jones, even better than last year when he had 8 tackles and 2 sacks. Strange. Anyway, the defensive line knows what to do: "Michael and Osi Umenyiora hurry the quarterback and you have several quarterback hits, so it's like getting singles and doubles instead of the home run," defensive line coach Mike Waufle said Tuesday. "That's what we're trying to solve. It's not brain surgery."

If the defensive line does their job, and if the secondary figures out their job, and if the linebackers start showing up (including whoever replaces Emmons) we'll be in good shape. That's 3 too many "if"s if you ask me.

Giants offense vs. Eagles defense

I found this interesting tidbit in a slightly old Newsday article about Eli Manning and the Eagles defense: "There is a new wrinkle in the Eagles' defensive approach that Manning noted in the game tapes. They used more dime coverage (two extra defensive backs) rather than the nickel defense (one extra back) they favored in the past. In those sets, Dawkins was used as a linebacker."

If Lito Shepherd doesn't play, and I think he's been ruled out, that dime defense should be stretched pretty thin. I like our offense's chances in this matchup, even if the Eagles defensive line is a bit bigger and harder to push around than the Colts.

Giants dominate Chiefs in second preseason game

NFL.com says it was a combination of good play by the Giants and weak play from the Chiefs.

Coughlin seems pretty happy about everything except Petigout's back (spasms) and O'Haras knee (maybe a sprain). The defensive line was strong, even the tackles. The secondary wasn't tested too much but they passed the quiz. Eli Manning and the Giants running game looked good.

Kansas City fans are worried, partially because Green didn't have much time to throw. Of course, here in New York, we're all smiles.

Giants news: defense and offense

We've got another article on Frank Walker, focusing on his relationship with Sam Madison (who says his hamstring injury is no big deal). We've also got another article on McQuarters who says he can play offense, defense, and specials. I'll settle for a nickel back that doesn't get burned and makes a few interceptions. R.W. seems capable of that.

Moving ot the defensive line, Kiwanuka is in the news again. Just more about how he impressed vs. the Ravens.

On offense, Tiki Barber says he probably has 2 seasons left in him. Then he turns 33. Burress has some moderate criticism of Coughlin. Nothing exciting, but perhaps better left unsaid.

Then we have an article that says Jennings best chance for making the Giants roster is as a return man. I'm not so sure. With Morton and McQuarters pretty much on the 53 man roster, the Giants seem to be OK for returners. If Jennings proves to be a good returner (more versatile than Ponder who only returns kickoffs) and a good receiver then he has a chance but probably still won't be active most games. Good thing he has a potential job lined up.

Giants secondary looks to be OK

The Giants secondary seems to be in better shape than I thought it would be. I was hoping the Giants would take Jimmy Williams (the CB witht he Falcons now I think) at #32 because I was concerned about the secondary.

However, RW McQuarters is doing better than I thought he would. He seems to be a solid nickelback and good depth shoud a starting CB go down.

Even Frank Walker is really turning it on, outperforming Deloatch (who was a below average starter last season in his 13 games). So who is the 4th CB? A 4-year veteran who may finally be playing consistently or a new guy with a little starting experience? Either way, not bad for a 4th corner. It does make you wonder what happens to Underwood and McPhearson. Practice squad maybe? And then there's Bell, the special teams ace.

As for the safeties, no one seems worried about Demps. Wilson got burned by Heap against the Ravens, but Heap's talent is no excuse. Considering that all Giants NFC East oppoinents have good tight ends, Wilson needs to get better in coverage in a hurry.

The Giants front 7

Carlos Emmons say his injuries are just bad luck, not signs that he's old or breaking down. We need another season out of him although Short wouldn't be a huge problem at WLB. Blackburn might be and the Giants 3rd round pick Wilkerson is probably not nearly as ready as Emmons and Short to contribute now.

A Yahoo Sports article says the Giants will miss Clancy at DT. That's looking to be a real possibility.

Pierce, Kiwanuka, Giants D vs. Ravens

Pierce is upset that the Giants defense still hasn't found an idenity, unless you count "soft" like Tom Coughlin called them.

At least Kiwanuka looks to be the real deal, although he was going up against guys dreaming of the practice squad when he really excelled.

The Giants defense is shaping up

We already know that the Giants are strong at defensive end, although it is nice that Osi is promising to get better. And we already know that the Giants defense needs to learn to work as a team.

Hopefully we'll have some exciting (and good) news after the Ravens preseason game. Too bad the Eagles looked pretty good beating up on the Browns.