Archive for the ‘Jerry Reese’
Will Big Blue Repeat?
Bob Glauber of Newsday asks ‘Will the Super Bowl Championship go to the Giants’ heads?’ Glauber’s argument is, “Repeating as Super Bowl champs is one of the toughest feats in sports; it has been done just eight times before. The Giants do look good on paper, even with the retirement of Michael Strahan, although they’ll have some new faces defensively. It is awfully tough to repeat in this league, and the Cowboys and Eagles remain viable threats. But I will not write off the Giants until I see definitive proof that they’ve taken a step back from last season. Barring key injuries, this is a serious Super Bowl contender.”
I believe that Bob’s argument is a good one. Keep in mind that the Giants had a very similar roster on paper heading into last season, and the ‘experts’ picked them to come in last place in the NFC East. Now they are a ’serious Super Bowl contender’. I love how people point out the obvious. I had the Giants as an 11-5 team heading into last year so don’t buy what the media is selling. The past few season, the Giants have had more offensive weapons on a Giants’ team at one time than I can ever remember. I’m referring to Eli, Tiki, Shockey, Amani, Plaxico, Jacobs, etc. When was the last time that you can remember the Giants having that many Pro Bowl caliber players on offense at one time? It was the defense that got soft the past few seasons which is not the norm. Spags came in and straightened that out in one season.
In another article in Newsday, Tom Rock says that the Giants will continue to use the “us against the world” attitude in 2008 because other teams around the league believe that the G-MEN just got hot at the right time last year. Shaun O’Hara said, “You do it once and people can call it a fluke, but if you do it twice, they start to really respect you and understand your talent.” Here’s what the Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning had to say, “I don’t think we’re satisfied. I think we are happy about last year, but we are not content with where we stand as a team and what we can do as an offense, as a team. We know that we can become a better group of players. We can have a better season.” In a similar article by Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, Vacchiano captured the thoughts of other Giants. Barry Cofield said, “We still feel a little bit of a sense of people saying that the Patriots lost. We still feel like a poor man’s champ.” Poor man’s champ…that’s a horrible feeling for taking down the undefeated Cheatriots. Brandon Jacobs said, “I’m not surprised. But if we haven’t shut up a lot of doubters yet, we can still shut them up next year.” Jerry Reese said, “I think it’ll definitely be addressed when we get into training camp and get everybody together. Last year is last year. That’s not going to help us win any games this year. We can’t talk about it. You’ve got to get out there and do it. That was our mantra last year: Talk is cheap, play the game. I think that carries over into next year as well. You can’t talk about it, you’ve got to be about it.”
That mentality was exactly how the Giants imposed their will upon their opponents. Look back at the Cowboys, Packers, and Patriots tapes and tell me that they didn’t win some of those games on heart alone. Antonio Pierce is probably the best player on the Giants that is also a leader that completely buys into this mentality. You could hear it each week when he called into The Fan. It is imperative that the Giants carry that attitude over to 2008 if they want to repeat.
Jeremy Shockey’s Sticking Around?
According to The Record, Jeremy Shockey is going to continue to make a mockery of himself and of the New York Football Giants as a Giant because “a source that has been accurate much of the time says the Giants have given up efforts to try to trade the tight end, and that Shockey will stay put.” The Record suggests that maybe Jerry Reese could not get back in return what he wanted for Shockey. What a shame. That is what I’ve been writing because by the time Shockey acted a fool, it was too late for Reese get something in return.
If Shockey participates in training camp and plays in the games then he won’t be penalized. However, if he continues not to participate then this will backfire on JR because the Giants would have to suspend him without pay which would be a wasted roster spot. Since Jeremy doesn’t even want to be here anymore, we don’t know what type of effort he will play with. Are we going to get 25% Shockey, 50% Shockey, 75% Shockey, or 100% Shockey?
Chris Snee Gets Six-Year Extension
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.
Ahmad Bradshaw Has Been Jailed
RB Ahmad Bradshaw has been jailed in southwest Virginia since June 15 for an undisclosed probation violation, according to USA Today. In response, the Giants stated that, “We are aware of the situation and have been in contact with Ahamd’s legal representative. This situation is not the result of any recent incident. It stems from an issue that occurred prior to Ahmad being drafted by the Giants. Beyond that, we have no further comment.”
The Bluefield Daily Telegraph down in Virginia wrote…
According to Lt. Mike Henegar, a spokesman for the jail, Bradshaw will “serve a certain amount of time” for a probation violation. He wouldn’t say when Bradshaw was charged or how long he had been jailed.
Henegar, who said he was limited to what he could say, would not reveal what the probation was related to, and he also couldn’t disclose the amount of time Bradshaw would serve at “this point in time.”
This offseason keeps getting worse and worse. It seems like Bradshaw and the Giants are on the same page though. I’m not sure why everything’s a secret. The Giants report to training camp in about 36 days so Bradshaw’s attorney must have tried to find a window in the Giants schedule where Ahmad could serve his sentence. Remember that Bradshaw is on Jerry Reese’s ’short leash’ because of his past issues, and Bradshaw told JR that he won’t let him down. For Ahmad’s sake, this better be old news like everybody says or he won’t be on the team much longer.
Shouting Match Between Shockey and Reese
Vinny DiTrani of The Record reported that Jeremy Shockey and Jerry Reese got into a huge shouting match during the tight end’s “visit” to minicamp. DiTrani recalled that, ”Shockey said last week he was upset the Giants did not allow him to stay on the field during Super Bowl XLII and instead sent him up to coowner Steve Tisch’s luxury box. He also blamed the Giants for spreading the rumors that he was upset and wanted a trade.”
First of all, I would like to thank Vinny for bringing this to the forefront. Giants.com is not leaking these types of stories, and they should be. I’ve been complaining about what a spoiled brat Shockey has been for a few years already. I’ve been writing that he needs to go since a year ago when we created Die Hard Giants Fan. The Giants just won the Super Bowl without you. Give it up chump. Right now, Jeremy should be kissing all of the players who made it happen where the sun don’t shine. Show some damn respect already. They’re the Champs, and you’re the Chump so make amends and kiss their rings. Instead, this dude comes in to mandatory mini camp and pretends he cannot participate. Then he starts shouting at JR. JR should have told him he’s fired on the spot and told him ‘don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out’. What a classless bum. I’m done with him. I never want to see him wearing blue again, that’s for damn sure.
Are You Shocked?
Yesterday, Jeremy Shockey showed up to the mandatory mini camp but he hung out inside according to Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger. When asked if there was a good reason that Shockey was not on the field, Tom Coughlin replied “Well, not really.” If Jeremy made a cameo appearance on ‘Hans and Franz’ then they would definitely call him a ‘girly-man’, and then they would tell him that they want to “pump.. [ clap ] ..you up!” because he needs it.
We all know how bitter Shockey has been for a long time now. The Giants decided not to trade him for a few draft picks in the offseason. The question is whether or not Jeremy will perform at a very high level this year. Is he too pissed off at management? Is he too pissed off about his role as a Tight End? Is he upset that he missed the Playoffs and the Super Bowl? Who knows what he’s pissed off at, but it doesn’t really matter why. What matters is if he can burry his emotions and concentrate on playing football this season. What matters is if he can show up to mini camp with a positive attitude. What matters is if he can be a great teammate this year. Instead, Shockey decided not to participate on day one of mini camp. You can already see where this is heading. We’re going to have to deal with a whole bunch of drama. Will it turn out as bad as what T.O. did in Philly or what Ocho Cinco has been doing in Cincinnati? Who knows? The difference is that the Giants are the champs, and every other team is beneath them so they shouldn’t have to deal with the classless players in the league.
Shockey’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus stated that, ”He’s not practicing right now because he’s still rehabilitating his ankle. He’s not in a position to practice right now.” However, Garafolo wrote something that I really found interesting because it confirms the seriousness of the issue. Here it is:
According to someone familiar with the latest developments in the Shockey situation, the four-time Pro Bowl tight end continues to insist he will sit out training camp and perhaps the upcoming season if he doesn’t get one of two things: fewer blocking assignments or a trade.
The person, who requested anonymity because of Reese’s “internal business” policy, said the Giants want Shockey in his old role and don’t want to trade him but might be forced to do so. The person said the team might also have to bench him or send him home (a la the Eagles and Terrell Owens in 2005) if he attends camp and continues to be a distraction.
From that, we realize that Shockey is demanding one of two things: less blocking or a trade. Which one of the two options benefits the team? Right, the trade. This is just based on on-the-field work. If he blocks less then the running game and the passing game will suffer, and his receiving skills have diminished a lot as well. I know he doesn’t get as many touches as he used too, but he doesn’t catch what comes his way now either. Add to that the off-the-field issues and the whining, and it’s just not worth it for the team to keep him. Garafolo also stated that the Giants may have to bench him a la Keyshawn or T.O. if he continues to not participate. The best thing that can happen is if Jerry Reese can trade him for a player or multiple players who want to be a Giant and that want to defend the title.
Thoughts on Burress’ Holdout
In between the two practice sessions yesterday, we found out that Plaxico Burress won’t practice until he gets a new contract. When asked if he would be ready for training camp, Plaxico said:
We hope so. Me and my agent are trying to get this deal done for the future so I can remain a New York Giant and we’re just not happy with the way things are going right now. That’s basically the main reason why I’m not out there. I personally don’t like the way that it’s going. I’m not happy about it, and I’m choosing not to participate. I’m not saying I’m being mistreated, but everyone wants to be treated fairly. We came to them and said we wanted to get a deal done and that’s really not going the way we want it to up to this point. Hopefully we can make something happen pretty soon. I know I can play stellar football for at least another four or five more years, so as far as me getting injured last year, that’s basically one of the most frustrating years that I’ve been through. I sit back and look at myself, if I can go out and do the things that I did, basically on one leg and a half a knee in the Super Bowl, I mean, what kind of performance am I going to give when I’m 100 percent?
On behalf of the Giants, Jerry Reese stated:
It’s internal business and it’ll be handled internally.
Following up on that, Bob Glauber of Newsday pointed out that Burress’ public remarks upset the Giants to the point where the Giants “did not make a transcript of his remarks”. Glauber believes that this was not a coincedence. Bob stated that, “The Giants are regarded as one of the classiest and most generous teams in the league. But they don’t like having their cages rattled publicly.” Since Jerry Reese didn’t budge with Strahan last year, he doesn’t think Reese will budge with Plaxico this year. Glauber also believes that if Reese budges after a public holdout then he will have to deal with all of the other players that were hoping to get a new contract but didn’t. I agree with Glauber tht the Giants are the classiest organization in the NFL. Like I said yesterday, I have no problem with any player asking for more money. However, don’t announce to the media that you’re not participating in practice. Plaxico is showing up the organization by doing this. If you read Burress’ quote above about how well he played last year on one leg then you will see that he asked, “what kind of performance am I going to give when I’m 100 percent?” It is a hypothetical question. Is he going to play 100% because he doesn’t have that track record? If he plays with the heart that he did in ’07 then he probably will be great for the remainder of his career, but what happens if he reverts to playing like he did in ‘05 and in ‘06? He was 100% healthy but did not play 100%. His stats were less than desirable, he gave up on plays when Eli threw interceptions his way, and Strahan called him out on television for giving up on one of those plays. What if the Giants grant Plaxico his new contract and turns into the Plaxico of ‘05 and ‘06? It would be a waste of money. How does a player hold out when they performed really well for only one out of three seasons? In this specific scenario, I feel like the Giants have the upper hand. It would be different if Burress was outstanding all three years, or even two out of three. Maybe you could of said the first year was transitional, and he got better each year. Prior to ‘07, I wanted him off of the team. He won my heart over in ‘07, but the Giants can simply point out the facts in this case. Gary Meyers of the New York Daily News believes that the Giants should pay Burress, but trade Shockey.
Wednesday’s Giants News: Plaxico is Holding Out
Everything should be smooth and calm in Giants land after they are coming off of a Super Bowl Victory. However, the Jints still have some clowns to deal with. The media has been speculating all week as to whether or not Shockey would show up to the mandatory mini camp. He has, but he’s not participating. He’s the only injured player not participating. Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger wrote this, “When asked if there was a reason Shockey wasn’t on the field, Coughlin said, “Well, not really.” Asked if he was supposed to be on the field, Coughlin said it would remain “between Shockey and I.”" It seems like I get more and more pissed off everytime Shockey does something stupid, which is pretty often. He really needs to figure it all out. Even after not playing for a while, he still hasn’t matured. The other clown is Burress who all of a sudden is holding out from mandatory mini camp. Simply put, he wants a contract extension. Does he deserve a raise? It can be justified. He had a great year last season on one leg. He was huge in the NFC Championship game and he caught the game winning touch down in the Super Bowl. At the same time, he was underachieving prior to last season. He had one great year and a couple of subpar years. He’s asking for the extension after the great year. It would be funny if teams asked players for a refund after the subpay years. Anyway, his request can be justified. However, I don’t understand the holdout. You signed the contract so show up and play. Let your agent do his job. Honor your conract whether they grant you your request or not.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com reported that some of the Giants’ Super Bowl XLII rings were stolen some time last weekend. Thieves broke into an E.A. Dion Jewelry store in Attleboro, MA., and took about $2 million worth of merchandise. The police are currently investingating the situation.
Michael Fabiano of NFL.com takes a look at soon-to-be third year wideouts to unearth potential sleepers in the world of fantasy football. Fabiano made a list of 10 receivers, and Steve Smith made the list. This was Fabiano’s analysis:
While he missed much of the regular season with an injured shoulder, the “other” Steve Smith did make his presence felt throughout the Giants’ postseason run. With some NFL experience under his belt and a more confident Eli Manning under center, Smith could develop into one of the better No. 3 wideouts in the league. He will have to contend with Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer, but Smith still has the potential to catch 50-plus passes in 2008.
Giants.com:
Reaction to Strahan retirement - A compilation of excerpts from various people in the NFL.
Transcript: Coach Tom Coughlin - Michael Eisen had a Q&A Session with Tom Coughlin about the first day of the mandatory mini camp.
Papa’s Perspective (Video) - Giants Play by Play Announcer Bob Papa will give his latest thoughts on Strahan’s Giants career.
Coach Tom Coughlin Presser - (Video) - Coughlin introduced Strahan in the Press Conference.
Michael Strahan Presser Part 1 (Video) - Part 1 of Strahan’s retirement Press Conference.
Michael Strahan Presser Part 2 (Video) - Part 2 of Strahan’s retirement Press Conference.
Michael Strahan Presser Part 3 (Video) - Part 3 of Strahan’s retirement Press Conference.
Giants GM Jerry Reese (Video) - Jerry Reese answers questions from the media about Strahan.
Giants President John Mara (Video) - John Mara answers questions from the media about Strahan.
In My Own Words: Strahan Part 1 (Video) - Strahan talks about his early childhood memories up through his rookie season in 1993 playing with L.T.
In My Own Words: Strahan Part 2 (Video) - Strahan discusses offensive formations.
In My Own Words: Strahan Part 3 (Video) - Strahan teaches viewers a few of his moves as a Defensive End.
Newsday:
Strahan makes retirement official
Some famous un-retirements - Babara Barker wonders if Strahan is serious about his retirement and made a list of 10 athletes that came out of retirement.
Giants lose a leader in Strahan
Strahan blessed to go out as Super Bowl champ
New York Daily News:
Plaxico: No new contract, no minicamp - Ralph Vacchiano reported that Plaxico Burress is holding out from mandatory mini camp until he gets a new contract.
Michael Strahan retires after Hall of Fame career with the Giants
Without Michael Strahan, road to repeat will be tougher for Giants
Jerry Reese at ready with Giant plan
Michael Strahan gets push for Hall of Fame from co-owner John Mara
New York Post:
TRUE BLUE MIKE ‘A GIANT FOR LIFE’
A STRA DOG, BUT WITH PERSONALITY
WITHOUT NO. 92, SOME ENOURMOUS SHOES TO FILL
RING-ING IN A NEW CAREER - Phil Simms had this to say about Strahan as he heads into his broadcasting career, “Michael Strahan’s naturally a very outgoing guy. He’s a lot of fun. He’s a professional athlete who’s had tremendous success. He’s somebody who can succeed in television, no question. He’ll bring his perspective and I think we all know he’s not gonna be afraid to speak about it.”
ELI: GOAL TO GET BETTER, NOT REPEAT - Eli Manning stated, “We’ve said we’re not going to talk about repeating or doing that, just becoming a better team. We have a lot of work to do. You look at a lot of things from last year that we did not do well. From an offensive standpoint, there’s a lot of things.”
New York Times:
Strahan Flashes a Smile as a Giant for the Last Time
Manning Says the Focus Is on Improving
Super Bowl Ring in Hand, Strahan Says He’s Retiring
The Star-Ledger:
And then there’s Shockey… - The Star-Ledger snapped a picture of Shockey.
Rosenhaus on Shockey and Burress - Mike Garafolo provided the brief conference Drew Rosenhaus just had about Shockey and Burress. As usual, Rosenhaus had nothing to say about either one of them. Think back to T.O.
Burress sitting out in contract dispute
Shockey’s in Jersey, but not practicing
Strahan’s last play: A glittering goodbye
Tuesday’s Giants News: OTAs
NFL.com had a poll where over 200,000 fans ranked all 32 teams for the 2008 season. Here are the results:
- Patriots - Core of team returns to avenge Super Bowl loss after perfect regular season.
- Colts - Core of Super Bowl XLI team is still intact. Dwight Freeney should be ready for season.
- Cowboys - Talented squad only got better during offseason with Pacman Jones, Zach Thomas.
- Giants - Competition in NFC East should be tough as Super Bowl champs look to go back-to-back.
Who knows how this stuff works? Big Blue is obviously the team to beat. If you want your team to be No. 1 then beat the Champs.
According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, ”Cowboys cornerback Pacman Jones has received permission from the NFL to participate in offseason workouts, training camp, and the preseason. However, he has not yet been reinstated to participate in regular-season games.” It seems like Pacman may make it back into the NFL which is a shame.
Florio also reported that Terrell Owens will remain as a Cowboy because, “Owens, we’re told, will receive a signing bonus of nearly $13 million. In all, he’s under contract for four years, and he’ll earn $34 million.” Now we have to face this moron twice a year for four more years.
Giants.com:
Tuesday’s OTA Report - Michael Eisen pointed out that Amani Toomer was one of the more visible players on the field today.
Giants Bolster D-Line - Michael Eisen announced that the Giants signed DE Renaldo Wynn which other media outlets reported yesterday. Eisen included a whole bunch of information about Wynn.
- Michael also reported that the Giants placed linebacker Keith O’Neil on their reserve/retired list.
New York Daily News:
Eli & Amani rekindle their chemistry - Ralph Vacchiano also covered the Giants OTAs. Vacchiano also noted that:
- Jeremy Shockey, Plaxico Burress, Osi Umenyiora, Antonio Pierce and Michael Strahan did not attend. AP is still on his honeymoon, and who knows where the rest of them were…
- David Tyree did not participate, though he was inside Giants Stadium doing rehab work for his knee. “Tyree said his knee feels good and his rehab is right on schedule. He expects to be ready for the start of training camp.”
- Derrick Ward “said he’s 90-95% healed from his broken fibula and isn’t limited at all in what he can do on the field.”
- Mathias Kiwanuka “said he’s getting closer to 100% too and didn’t seem limited on the field.”
New York Post:
The Star-Ledger:
Giants announce Wynn signing - Mike Garafolo included Jerry Reese’s and Tom Coughlin’s thoughts on the signing of Renaldo.
More on the Wynn signing - Mike Garafolo explains why the Giants didn’t sign Wynn until June 1 when Wynn first visited the Giants in mid-May. Garafolo’s conclusion is, “Wynn’s signing on June 1 means he won’t impact the Giants’ chances for compensatory picks in next year’s draft.”
