MVN - Most Valuable Network

Thoughts On The Running Backs

Going into training camp next week, Giants fans have got to feel great about the depth at tailback.  One of the biggest questions at this point last season, following the retirement of Tiki Barber, has become a strength.  The Giants have three backs who produced at one point or another last season and all expect to be big contributors again this season.

• Brandon Jacobs - The big back has been very successful during his Giants career, using his combination of size and speed to run over some defenders and carry others.  He ran for 1,009 yards and 4 touchdowns last season, and caught 23 passes for 174 yards and another two scores.  Jacobs has some concerns though, as he lost four fumbles and missed five full games due to injury.  Imagine what Jacobs numbers could have been if he was healthy all season.  Jacobs also loves the game and brings aggression to the field and enthusiasm to the sidelines.  Now we all know Jacobs is looking for a contract extension, and I think we have to give him one, but make sure it is reasonable.  Jacobs has never been able to stay healthy and running backs tend to have short careers.  Hopefully Jerry Reese will lock him up for a few more seasons at a reasonable price tag before training camp begins.  Jacobs is the unquestioned starter going into the 2008 season.     
• Ahmad Bradshaw -What a steal.  Bradshaw fell to the 7th round of the 2007 NFL Draft due to character concerns, and became a dangerous threat in the Giants offense last season.  He exploded onto the scene during week 16 @ Buffalo, when he ran for 151 yards and a touchdown and became a big part of the offense during the playoffs.  Bradshaw is the perfect compliment to Brandon Jacobs, because he is a slasher and a home run hitter who is also a good receiver out of the backfield.  Bradshaw just spent 30 days in jail for a parole violation stemming from an arrest in 2006, and the league is looking into suspending or fining him for this infraction.  My guess is the league will decide not to take action against him, because the incident occurred before he was drafted.  Either way, expect Bradshaw to be a bigger factor in the Giants offense this season as the second running back and third down back. 
• Derrick Ward -In only eight games last season, we were introduced to one of the best back up tailbacks in the league in Derrick Ward.  In those games (two of which were limited due to injury) Ward rushed for 602 yards and three touchdowns and added 26 catches for 179 yards and another touchdown.  When Brandon Jacobs was injured, the Giants offense did not miss a beat thanks to Ward, who stepped in and did more than we could hope for.  I have a feeling Ward will be the third back on the depth chart for the GMen, but if something was to happen to Jacobs, he could be starting.  This would allow Bradshaw to stay in his role as the change of pace and scatback. 
• Reuben Droughns - When called upon last season, Droughs did a great job for the Giants, rushing for 275 yards and six touchdowns as the short yardage specialist.  Jerry Reese was definitely the winner of that Tim Carter trade, huh? Droughns does have some value as a special teamer and a short yardage back, but he’ll have trouble making the team due to all of the talent ahead of him on the depth chart. 
• Danny Ware - Many of you who keep up with this site are aware that I am a huge SEC football fan, specifically a University of Georgia fan, so I am excited to have Ware on the roster.  Ware is a talented player who needs to try and catch on with the practice squad. 
• Kay-Jay Harris - Some of you may remember Harris from his days at West Virginia.  If you do, don’t get too excited, because he isn’t making the final roster. 
• Madison Hedgecock - He is everything the Giants would want in a fullback.  A powerful blocker and tough guy who seems like he belongs with the Giants, who always seem to have a tough, gritty fullback who shows up and plays hard every game.  Caught seven passes for 53 yard last season, but does everything that dosn’t appear on the stat sheet. 
• Robert Douglas - The big fullback from Memphis has some talent, but there is only room for one fullback on the roster.  Hopefully he will catch on somewhere, but I doubt it will be with the GMen. 

Giants’ reclamation pickups: the lesser knowns

In a recent article, we studied several players who, after being let go by other NFL teams, were signed by Jerry Reese and produced for the Giants last season.  Today, as promised then, we turn to a different, lower-profile category of Reese-acquired players whose previous NFL teams chose not to retain them — those who, as yet, have done little or nothing for the G-men, but could leave their mark in 2008.

We look at 6 such athletes.  Since it’s hard to ID any of the 6 as standing out from the others, we address them in alphabetical order.

Kevin Boothe - Boothe was drafted by Oakland in the 6th round in 2006.  Just prior to the start of the 2007 season, the Raiders released him.  The next day, he became a Giant.  Having gotten 14 starts in his rookie season with the Raiders, Boothe boasts a lot of game experience for a young, unestablished player.  A second factor that should also work in his favor is his insight into the Giants’ offense, given that he was sharp enough to attend college at Cornell and, in addition, now has nearly a full year’s tenure with Big Blue.

Like Shane Olivea and Kurt Quarterman, both of whom we discuss below, Boothe relies foremost on strength rather than athleticism.  Though his best position may be guard, he also has the size for right tackle.  In attempting to gauge Boothe’s prospects, it’s worth considering that the one organization that cut him is — how to say it in the nicest way? — not widely thought of as the league’s most astute. Read the rest of this entry »

If I were the NY Giants GM…

One thing is for sure, Jerry Reese has done a fantastic job as a rookie general manager, and we at MVN Giants 101 have a tremendous amount of faith and respect for him.  The position he holds with the team is a difficult job, and he must make quick decisions, prudent choices, and build high levels of trust with those throughout the organization.  With that said, I still feel that it would be a great job to have and I have a couple of things that I would do, if I had the chance.  Feel free to add to the list or completely disagree.

1. Extend Brandon Jacobs - BJ is going to have a breakout year.  This is a contract year and he will perform accordingly.  Next season he is going to be “looking for the money” and he will be sure to get his asking price on the open market.  There are always teams grasping at straws for talent, and he will find a HUGE payday.  The Giants should be careful to not price themselves out of the market, and ink him to an extension early.  He will be looking for top dollar, but certainly he does not expect “top-tier” money.  I think if he has a breakout season and hits the 2,000 yard mark, he will certainly command (and will get) “top-tier” money. 

Brandon Jacobs is a future star in this league.  Simple as that.  Read the rest of this entry »

Giants News & Notes 7/15

UPDATE: Word out of Giants camp is that Mario Manningham has signed a four year pact with the team.  No initial word on the value of the contract, but Vacchiano reports on The Blue Screen that the fourth year could prove to be very lucrative as it contains “generous escalator clauses.”  This signing leaves only Kenny Phillips and Terrell Thomas as the only unsigned draft picks.  Training camp begins July 24th.

I am a little more pressed for time today than I thought I would be, so I decided to hold off on the article I was working on and fire out some random news & notes on the GMen and a few rants today. 

• The good news is Giants second year running back Ahmad Bradshaw has completed a 30 day prison sentence in the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail for a parole violation.  The bad news is the parole violation is still under review by the NFL and Bradshaw could be fined or even suspended by the league.  It sounds like Bradshaw did something illegal while he was a juvenile, and those records are sealed.  When he was still at Marshall in 2006, Bradshaw stole an XBox, and received two years probation.  He was already on probation for this undisclosed juvenile offense, and he violated it with the XBox incident, hence he needed to serve the 30 days in jail.  This 30 day sentence slipped through the cracks until this summer.  I hope the league realizes that Bradshaw’s record is clean since 2006 and decides that he should not be punished for his actions that occurred before he entered the NFL. 
• GMen report in 9 days (the 24th)!!! 51 Days until the season kicks off at the Meadowlands when we take on the Redskins!!! I am so ready for it. 
• The only draft picks that the Giants have yet to sign are first rounder Kenny Phillips, second rounder Terrell Thomas and third rounder Mario Manningham.  Jerry Reese, let’s get these deals done within the next nine days and get the young studs on the field. 
• I saw Justin Tuck in the celebrity softball game last night, and he crushed big hit in his first at bat.  As he rounded the bases and tried to score, Kenny Mayne threw him out at the plate.  He tried to avoid the tag, but I was hoping he was going to plow the catcher over.  It would have been amazing if he had taken the catcher out Pete Rose style.  Dip the shoulder Tuck! 
• Speaking of the Home Run Derby last night, watching Josh Hamilton hit 28 homers in the first round was awesome.  I know he didn’t win the whole thing, but he really put on a show at Yankee Stadium.  Great story, and those 500 foot moonshots were amazing. 
• Brett Favre really put the Packers in a tough spot.  I do not care who you are, changing your mind like that when you are a legend is not right.  The Packers drafted two quarterbacks this year (Brohm and Flynn) and named Aaron Rodgers the starter.  The fans will go nuts if they or trade release Favre.  The whole front office looks bad in this and I feel like Favre is tarnishing his legacy with this drama every offseason.  Plus I am really sick of the story kicking off Sportscenter every night.  Oh and the fact that Packers management said Favre could return as a backup is just plain ridiculous.   
• Let’s get Plaxico and Jacobs locked up to new contracts before this season starts, and have everyone happy and healthy on the 24th.  Well, we all know Shockey isn’t happy, but the front office does not seem too worried about that right now.  9 days until the Giants get back together as a team, and I cannot wait.  Time to repeat.     

Giants 2007: Favorite Memories

With the NFL’s earliest training camp opening, that of the Washington Redskins, scheduled for July 19, relief from football famine is now just 5 days away.  Hip, hip, hooray! 

We thought of wishing a tornado on those Redskins — about whom (as with the Cowboys and Eagles) there’s a certain something that’s just naturally dislikable.  But in the spirit of being merely nasty and not homicidal, we’ve dialed back our wish to just torrential rain — still enough to bog down ‘Skins camp but good.  When it comes to hitting ‘em in the mouth, there’s no such thing as too soon.

Camp, blessed camp.  Welcomed by football nuts everywhere.  For Giant fans, though, it means having to turn the page in earnest on the sublimity of 2007.  Which makes this one of our last, best chances to bask in recollections of Big Blue’s march to triumph.  Let’s not waste it.  Here then, in no particular order, is a selection of this writer’s favorites.

• The G-men earning their championship the old-fashioned way, by whipping through the deadliest playoff gauntlet the league could assemble.  No Wild Card-week bye, no home playoff games, formidable opponents and, as if more was needed, the Ice Queen to grapple with at Lambeau Field.  And unlike the Steelers in their Super Bowl tiff with Seattle, no need to thank the zebras either.  First among the opponents was Tampa Bay, not the fumbling 7-and-9 survivor of a sad-sack division, but a 9-and-7 outfit well enough regarded that they were favored to beat the 10-and-6 Giants.  Next came Dallas and Green Bay, who were universally deemed the cream of the NFC playoff crop.  And, finally, the undefeated Patriots.  To those now rating the Giants 6th or 8th among the NFL’s 32:  What more could the G-men have done to win your respect?  It’s not as though Big Blue somehow lucked into the Tennessee Titans (a wild card team in the ‘07 AFC playoffs, just as the Giants were in the NFC) as their Super Bowl opponent. Read the rest of this entry »

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  By David Gruenbaum | Hype it | Bark it | 31 Comments »

The Weakside Linebacker Position Battle

We know that two of the Giants three starting linebacker spots are locked up for 2008.  Antonio Pierce will be starting in the middle and Mathias Kiwanuka will be returning from a broken leg and starting on the strongside.  When Kawika Mitchell left for the Buffalo Bills via free agency, it left the Giants with an open starting position at weakside linebacker.  These are the players who will be competing for this starting spot in training camp.

• Danny Clark - Giants management signed journeyman outside linebacker Danny Clark (6′2 245lbs) this offseason to compete for the vacant weakside linebacker  slot.  When Tom Coughlin was the coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, he drafted Clark in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL Draft.  Since, Clark has has stints with the Jags, Raiders, Saints and Texans.  He can play all three linebacker spots and is expected to contribute on special teams.  He is known for being a hard hitter and had 43 tackles and a pick in 13 games with the Texans last season.  I think that after an intense and close battle in training camp, Clark will lose out on the weakside linebacker position and will become a valuable reserve and special teamer for the Giants next season. 
• Gerris Wilkinson -The Giants drafted Wilkinson (6′3 231lbs) in the third round of the 2006 draft.  He has struggled with some injuries early in his NFL career, playing 13 games with 15 tackles for Big Blue last season.  He has great sideline to sideline speed and quickness, but still needs to get stronger and shed blocks more effectively.  I think that Wilkinson wins the weakside linebacker spot in camp this season.  I think he has all of the tools to be a solid, if not spectacular starter in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.      
• Other - Wilkinson and Clark are the clear favorites to win the weakside linebacker spot on the Giants defense next season.  Other players who have an outside shot at this vacant spot are veteran Chase Blackburn and rookie Bryan Kehl.  I see Blackburn battling to keep his job this offseason, as the Giants got much younger and deeper at linebacker, and Kehl as a special teamer who will have a shot to start down the road. 

Plax the Giant

Plax:  The Latest

On Monday, July 7, Plaxico Burress gave the world a “State of Plax” update.  We learned that the team’s premier offensive weapon:

• is glad to be a Giant and confident of soon signing a new contract that will keep him with the team;
• expects to be fully recovered from his injuries within weeks;
• overcame even more injuries in last year’s playoffs than some of us knew about (quite a story, this . . . more on it below); and
• espouses the “passionate competitor” defense in support of his friend and aggrieved teammate, tight end Jeremy Shockey.

In the few days since then, in case you haven’t noticed, the often low-profile Burress has been omnipresent in the media, promoting his new book, “Giant:  The Road to the Super Bowl”.

Giant Achievements

In his three seasons with the Giants to date, Burress has piled up regular season production of 3,227 yards on 209 receptions, with 29 touchdowns.  The annual averages come out to 1,077 yards, 70 receptions, and 10 touchdowns.  Not bad . . . at all.  Even better when one considers that, in recording them, Burress has overcome injuries at times, the recurrent valleys of his quarterback’s development process and, most of all, during his first 2 Big Blue seasons, his own lack of professional maturity.

Maturity at Last

On the last of those factors, more needs to be said.  The Plaxico of today is a gridiron hero.  Honest to goodness.  Legitimately.  On merit.  It’s in the last 12 months that he’s turned into that, following a career of underachievement stretching back to his days at Michigan State.  Yes, back that far. Read the rest of this entry »

Giants Sign OT Shane Olivea

Quick update: The Giants agreed to a one year deal with former San Diego Chargers Offensive Tackle Shane Olivea today.  Olivea (6′4 312lbs) is a solid and versatile offensive lineman who will provide great depth up front for the Giants this season.  He fell out of favor with San Diego’s managent after starting 31 of 32 career games for the Chargers after being drafted in 2004. 

Another great move by Jerry Reese.  Bringing in a talented and versatile backup for the offensive line at this time of the year is a smart decision.  The deal is extremely low risk for the Giants, and we should expect Olivea to be the primary backup at right tackle next season. 

Giants defensive back battle unveiled

On the heels of Rich O’Callaghan’s excellent article examining all-time Giants defensive backs, I will look at the current state of the squad heading into the 2008 NFL season.  Giants training camp probably has never been as full of talent in the defensive backfield as it will be this summer, so it should be a blast evaluating the talent as reports become available.  For now, I will discuss the battles, and how I see the depth chart developing.

There are three guys that must be exuberant over the amount of talent in the defensive backs meeting rooms, and not one of those guys wears a uniform.  For the returning players, their solid play is based on the preparation, guidance, and support they received from their coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, and their respective position coaches, Peter Giunta (CB) and David Merritt (S).  Each one of these coaches did a tremendous job getting their players on the same page and getting the most talent out of their unit.  They were able to overcome injuries, which is an oddity around the Meadowlands, and they did not skip a beat in the gameplan.  Each coach had a tremendous amount of trust in their players and are deserving of copious amounts of recognition.

In recent years the Giants have fluttered between 9 or 10 defensive backs, with the corners garnering more spots.  In 2005 the team was staffed with four safeties and five corners.  In 2006, they stayed with the same number of safeties, but increased their corner total to six players.  In 2007, Spagnuolo, Giunta, and Merritt had four safeties and five corners to work with, so this year it seems likely that we could see 9 or 10 players again.  With the wealth of talent heading into 2008, I see the coaching staff devoting ten spots to the defensive backfield, and it will be very tight competition.

Safeties

Read the rest of this entry »

Plax Will Report, ROC’s All-Time Giants Roster - Defensive Backs

Breaking News: WR Plaxico Burress will report to training camp on time.  He has been holding out, unhappy with his contract situation.  GREAT NEWS!!!

When you think about Giants defenses over the past 26 years, you think about talented defensive ends and linebackers.  Not many players from the secondary have stood out in recent seasons.  Of course, we have a lot of young talent in the defensive backfield now, who are too young and unproven still to be included on this list.  Maybe someday Aaron Ross, Corey Webster, and Kenny Phillips will be starting in this secondary (and I hope they will).  These are a few of the Giants current defensive backs that I am sure I will be rooting for week in and week out during the coming season.  For now, I will look back at my personal favorite Giants defensive backs over the past 26 years. 

• Cornerback, Phillippi Sparks - Sparks was the closest thing to a lockdown corner the GMen had during the 1990’s.  I was always a big fan of Sparks, because he started his career at Glendale Community College, clearly you do not expect a play from this school to become a star.  He then transferred to Arizona State, where he excelled, and the Giants made him the 13th pick of the second round in the 1992 draft.  He started opposite Jason Sehorn for six seasons and in 8 total seasons with the Giants he totaled 437 tackles, 22 interceptions and a sack.  When I think of Sparks, I think of a solid cover corner who was a gamer for the Giants from 1992-2000.  When I think of Sehorn, I see that kick return against the Jets in preseason, and what could have been.   
• Free Safety, Terry Kinard- Kinard was the 10th overall selection in the 1983 draft by the Giants and was an instant impact player, starting 10 games as a rookie and grabbing three interceptions.  He made the Pro Bowl once, and was a member of the Giants 1986 Super Bowl winning team.  He finished his Giants career after the 1989 season, missing the second Super Bowl by one year which would be his last.  In 105 games with the Giants, Kinard had 27 interceptions, three sacks and three defensive touchdowns.  In my opinion, Kinard does not get enough credit when the conversation turns to Giants All-Time greats.   
• Strong Safety, Shawn Williams - Williams was the 24th overall selection by the Giants in the 1998 Draft, and had a solid career when he wasn’t plagued by knee injuries.  In 8 seasons with the Giants, Williams recorded 428 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 13 interceptions.  He was a big hitter and a leader of the defense that took the Giants to the 2001 Superbowl, who started every game from 2000-2002. 
• Corneback, Jason Sehorn -I wanted to leave Sehorn off of this list, but he is the best available candidate.  I will explain in the next paragraph.  Sehorn had all of the talent in the world coming out of USC, when the Giants selected him in the second round of the 1994 draft, and he showed it on the field starting in 1996 when he had 106 tackles, 3 sacks and 5 interceptions.  After a similar 1997 season, there was talk of Sehorn becoming a Giants legend.  Then came the dreaded decision to try Sehorn as a kick returner during the 1998 preseason.  During a game against the Jets, Sehorn suffered serious injuries to both knees on a kick return.  He would return to the field in 1999 and had a few halfway decent seasons, and I always rooted for him as a player.  The name Jason Sehorn makes Giants fans think “if only he never returned kicks.”  He finished his Giants career with 382 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 9 forced fumbles, 19 interceptions, and one really hot wife. 

Defensive backs have never been a strength of the New York Giants, and this position may be the most debatable of them all.  I would like to reiterate that this list contains only my favorite players who played during my lifetime.  Some people will ask “Where is Will Allen, he had a better career than Sparks or Sehorn?” Well, I have never been as frustrated by a player as I was by Will Allen, since I watched him drop more catchable interceptions than any player than I have ever seen.  When you think about the 1986 and 1990 Super Bowl teams, yes, there were a few solid players other than Kinard.  We clearly can’t count Elvis “Toast” Patterson or Perry Williams on this list.  Myron Guyton? Mark Collins? Greg Jackson? Renya Thompson? Herb Welch? Most of these guys just played a few seasons and left without making major impacts.  Everson Walls was great, but his best years were not as a Giant.  Other players who crossed my mind were Gibril Wilson, Will Peterson, Sam Garnes, Tito “Wu-Tang” Wooten, and Percy Ellsworth.  That is my list, what you guys think?