Die Hard Sports Fan

A few days ago, SportingNews.com broke down the Quarterbacks in the NFC. Big Blue ended up No. 5 on their list. Yesterday, they broke down the Offensive Lines in the NFC. Here’s the Top 5 on the list…

1. Dallas Cowboys - “Three Pro Bowlers — LT Flozell Adams, RG Leonard Davis and C Andre Gurode — pave the way for one of the league’s most prolific offenses. The short-yardage running could be better, but that’s nit-picking.”
2. Philadelphia Eagles - “LT William Thomas and RT Jon Runyan are reliable but aging bookends. RG Shawn Andrews is nearing elite status. The massive line is better suited for a power rushing attack than the team’s pass-happy scheme.”
3. Minnesota Vikings - “LG Steve Hutchinson, C Matt Birk and LT Bryant McKinnie make life easier for RB Adrian Peterson, but McKinnie sometimes struggles in pass protection. The right side has been a problem but is improving.”
4. Green Bay Packers - “LT Chad Clifton and RT Mark Tauscher offer the security QB Aaron Rodgers needs, though Clifton isn’t as strong in the running game. Feisty C Scott Wells uses technique and leverage to get the job done.”
5. New York Giants - “The unit of LT David Diehl, LG Rich Seubert, C Shaun O’Hara, RG Chris Snee and RT Kareem McKenzie includes no superstar but has no weak link. It protects Eli Manning and excels in the power running game.”

The Cowboys do have a massive O-Line which bothers me because it makes it a little more difficult for the Giants to get through. I never thought the Eagles had a great O-Line, rather I thought they had a really good Quarterback who avoids getting sacked except in Osi’s 6 sack game. I don’t know much about the Vikings’ or the Packers’ Offensive Lines. They are correct by stating that the Giants don’t have a superstar, but they play very well together.

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Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger got his hands on the details of Chris Snee’s six-year contract extention, according to his agent Noel LaMontagne of EAS Sports.  Are you ready?

*Total value of $41.25 million without escalators. With escalators, the max value of the deal is $43.5 million.

*$13.5-million signing bonus.

*Base salary average of $6.875 million.

*$17 million guaranteed.

*$23 million in the first three years of the contract.

All I can say is WOW and wonder what Plax thinks about it.  Do you think Burress regrets opening his mouth and sitting out?  The Giants should take money away from Burress just for the fun of it.

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A lot of people were concerned that the Giants did not give Chris Snee a contract extension yet.  Especially since he’s the son-in-law of Coach Coughlin.  Well, today NFL.com reported that the Giants reached agreement on a six-year extension with the guard that ties him to the team through 2014.  The financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal will make him one of the five highest paid guards in the game.

Congrats to Chris.  Since Coughlin got a four-year extension and Snee got a six-year extension, they will remain in blue for at least four more years together and off-the-field…well forever.  I love this move by Jerry Reese because Chris is a very solid guard who comes to play week-in and week-out.  He acts like a professional.  In this offseason of drama, we finally get to hear some good news out of the Meadowlands, and it happens to come to a player that says absolutely nothing about his contract.

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Most of the news this week has been about the OTA’s.  We got to hear from the entire coaching staff, and they provided us with some foresight as they head into the 2008 season.

Giants.com:

Offensive Coaches Speak - Michael Eisen pointed out that the Offensive Staff met with the media today.  Eisen provided the entire transcript.

Transcript: Tight End Coach Mike Pope - Giants.com had a Q&A Session with Mike Pope.

Newsday:

Giants expect reluctant Shockey to attend camp - “Pope said yesterday that he expects his star pupil to be in attendance at the team’s mandatory minicamp next month and when training camp begins in Albany in late July.”

New York Daily News:

Giant coach says Jeremy Shockey’s in Super Bowl shock - “Pope, the Giants’ tight ends coach, believes that’s the primary source of Shockey’s unhappiness - that he had to watch the Giants win Super Bowl XLII because his broken leg kept him off the field.”

New York Post:

SNEE AWAITS GIANT REWARD

New York Times:

Giants Face Questions About Two Key Players - “Many people in the Giants’ organization have had to parry questions about the futures of Jeremy Shockey and Michael Strahan.”

The Star-Ledger:

Pope says Shockey rift fixable - Mike Pope had this to say about Jeremy Shockey at this week’s OTA:

I don’t think you can individualize this. Any player who’s a big part of the team and gets out of the roster for a period of time, it’s a terrific shock because that’s what they do. … I know he was very, very upset about not being able to finish what we collectively started. I’m sure there was a lot of disappointment.

I don’t think he’s any different than other players. Once the team gets back together and they get involved together, those things — whatever they have been — tend to become less of a factor and they eventually disappear. You start playing together, you start winning and the upside of the game is what you’re looking at, then things usually run fairly smoothly.

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According to NFL.com, the Dallas Cowboys have reached agreements with RB Marion Barber and CB Terence Newman to long-term extensions today.

• “Barber agreed to a seven-year deal worth $45 million, with $16 million in guaranteed bonuses. The deal will total $21 million over the first three years, all of which puts him in the salary range of LaDainian Tomlinson, Edgerrin James and Larry Johnson — heady stuff for a guy whose only career start came in his last game.”
• “Newman’s deal is a six-year extension. Since he had one year left on his original contract, that means he’s also locked up through 2014, just like Barber. His contract is worth $50.2 million, including $22.5 million guaranteed.”

So now we gotta face the Barbarian for the next 7 years.  Newman doesn’t bother me because he’s so wrapped up in talking smack that he forgets to play the game.

Giants.com:

Defensive Coaches Speak - Michael Eisen pointed out that the Defensive Staff met with the media today.  Eisen provided the entire transcript.

Transcript: Safeties Coach David Merritt - Giants.com had a Q&A Session with David Merritt.

Transcript: Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo - Giants.com had a Q&A Session with Steve Spagnuolo.

New York Post:

ELI READY TO ‘SHOCK’ - Dan Martin tells us that Eli Manning is looking forward to playing with Jeremy Shockey in ‘08.

The Star-Ledger:

A late vote for SB MVP - David Merritt believes that James Butler was the MVP of Super Bowl XLII.

TE coach Pope on Shockey - Mike Garafolo lets us know that Mike Pope was asked a bunch of questions from the media about Shockey, and Pope has not spoken to Shockey.

Snee not worried about his contract

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Even though the workouts are voluntary, the NY Giants officially had to report to work today.  In an article below, Michael Eisen captured their thoughts about returning to work and seeing everybody again.  2008 is the year where Big Blue will try to repeat, and it begins here.  The NFL always displays the stats on how poorly Super Bowl Champs play the year after.  Let’s hope that the G-MEN don’t come down with that.

Giants.com:

Giants Return! - Michael Eisen pointed out that the Giants Offseason Program began today.  Eisen found out what the Giants think about seeing each other again.

Fans Take - A Giants fan tells us what she thought about the 2007 season.

New York Daily News:

A sneak peek at the Giants (literally) - Ralph Vacchiano wrote this about Mathias Kiwanuka, “LB Mathias Kiwanuka, who missed the final six games of last season with a broken leg, is far enough along in his rehabilitation that he’s begun running. In a brief conversation as he walked into the stadium this morning, he said his recovery is going well.”

The Star-Ledger:

It’s official: NY Giants will host Skins in opener - After being leaked last week, Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that, ”the Giants and Redskins will kick off the 2008 season with a 7 p.m. game Sept. 4.”

NY Giants set for offseason workouts - Mike Garafolo details who was not expected to attend the Giants Offseason Workouts and why.

ProFootballTalk.com:

COUGHLIN’S SON-IN-LAW TO SKIP WORKOUTS? - According to Mike Florio, Chris Snee is planning to skip the voluntary workouts because he wants a new contract.  I guess he wants to follow the footsteps of Osi.

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