Die Hard Sports Fan

There was a black cloud over the Meadowlands today because only bad things have happened. According to Giants.com, former Giant and radio analyst Dick Lynch passed away today at the age of 72. Lynch played for the Giants from 1959-66, a period in which the team played in four NFL Championship Games. Lynch played in 97 regular season games for the Giants (109 in his career) and intercepted 35 passes. In both 1961 and 1963, he led the NFL with nine interceptions. In ‘63, he also led the league with 251 return yards and three touchdowns. Lynch scored seven career touchdowns, four on interception returns and three on fumble returns. For 40 years, Lynch treated fans with his strategic insight, his sharp knowledge of football and his information about the Giants. He did it with a conversational style that suggested a man sitting in his living room with a group of friends watching the game.

John Mara said…

Dick was such an important part of our organization for so many years that we really considered him part of the family. He was a true Giant as a player, a broadcaster and as a man. We will miss him dearly and our thoughts and prayers go out to Roz and the entire Lynch family.

Sam Huff said…

I’m very sorry we lost Dick. He was a great friend and a great family man. When the Giants played the Redskins, we always visited before the game. Those two teams competed, but Dick and I never competed. We were always on the same team - always on the same page. He never changed his personality. I’m going to miss him.

Die Hard Giants Fan would like to send our condolences to the Lynch family and to the Giants organization for their loss. May he rest in peace.

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As soon as John Mara and Steve Tisch sent out the original letter regarding PSLs to the season ticket holders, it has become the biggest story about the Giants of the summer. I’ve checked our site’s stats, and the posts about PSLs have gotten plenty of traffic. Also, those posts have had a few comments attached to each post. The feedback from Giants fans has been very bitter and deservedly so. We went on to bash the organization for wanting to implement PSLs in two posts. Then we wrote a post about the upside to PSLs, which was based on articles that we’ve come across.

The Jets keep postponing the date when they plan on informing their season ticket holders about the PSL pricing plan. However, Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News reported that Woody Johnson said the pricing plan may include a system for Jets and Giants PSL owners to “alternate events as they come along during the year - concerts, a tractor pull, whatever we have.” Johnson is clearly doing this to try to diminish the amount of heat he is going to receive when he sends the letter to the Jets’ season ticket holders. The thing that caught my attention is that Woody mentioned that this would possibly be offered to ‘Jets and Giants PSL owners’. The Giants never mentioned this before, but I’m sure that Johnson, Mara, and Tisch are all on the same page because they are sharing the stadium. This small benefit must have been a topic of discussion which is why he mentioned it. However, the article stated that “The Giants had no comment on how non-football events will be handled.”  I guess we’ll have to wait and see how the Giants will handle it…if they even do.

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Yesterday, John Mara and Steve Tisch sent out their official letter regarding the PSLs to the Giants Season Ticket Holders. The first time that they informed the Season Ticket Holders about the PSLs, I copied and pasted the entire letter because it was shocking and informative. This time, it’s not as shocking or informative so I’m going to extract the most important points. To view the letter in it’s entirety, click here.

The stadium has been designed to provide fans with an unparalleled experience on Giants game days: modernized food service, concessions and restaurants; expanded team stores; tailgate zones with improved tailgating facilities; upgraded and additional restrooms; Club seats with beautiful Club spaces; wider concourses; cutting-edge scoreboards and in-stadium technology; and much more. The experience of getting to the stadium will be better too, including improved highway access, redesigned parking lots and new rail links from New York and New Jersey. These improved amenities, together with the new state-of-the-art playing and training facilities, will also position the Giants to continue to attract championship-caliber players for the foreseeable future.

It is true that the actual stadium and it’s amenities help draw fans and championship caliber players. An example of that is the Dallas Mavericks. They haven’t won a championship yet since Mark Cuban took over, but they make the Playoffs almost every year. They did make one NBA Finals appearance. They made basketball matter in Dallas where the Cowboys reign supreme. New York is a city where the marketability of the players is much larger than the rest of the county. The perks are an added bonus, but the Giants would be able to bring in the talent regardless. The Giants also have history in the NFL. Mara and Tisch also mentioned that, “The new stadium development is the largest 100 percent privately financed stadium project in the United States.” I’m uncertain as to why the Giants and the Jets were unable to get any money from New Jersey and/or New York. You would think that there would’ve been incentives for them to share a stadium and to build a new stadium. So both teams have to channel the debt for a $1.6 billion stadium to the fans. Who else is going to pay for it? What alternatives are there? The article also provided contact information: If you have questions, or wish to apply for your PSLs online, please visit us at www.NYG2010.com or call our hotline at 1-877-NYG-2010 (1-877-694-2010).

I’m not a season ticket holder so you guys may have a different perspective on this than I do. I’ve been on the waiting list for about 2-3 years. If the Giants called me tomorrow and asked if I would like to buy season tickets in the new stadium in 2010 then I’m not sure that I would be able to afford it. I do think that the Giants should have stayed in Giants stadium a little longer - maybe until it hit it’s 50th birthday.

The media has been saying that this isn’t fair the the Giants fans. In general, more than 80 percent of the New York Giants’ current season ticket holders will be charged between $1,000 and $7,500 for the right to buy tickets for the team’s new stadium under a personal seat license plan announced by the Giants on Thursday. Licenses for some of the best seats will cost as much as $20,000. This isn’t new news. Ralph Vacchiano over at The Blue Screen did a great job explaining the pricing structure. Clemente Lisi of the New York Post wrote, “Call it a Giant rip-off.” Steve Politi of The Star-Ledger wrote, “In an era when most pro sports franchises treated fans like human ATMs, available for cash withdrawal 24 hours a day, the Giants were different. They operated like an old-fashioned family business, one that valued their customers’ loyalty over the size of their bank accounts. That’s gone now.” Kyle Burks, whose SeasonTicketRights.com Web site manages PSL sales for four NFL teams puts more of a positive spin on it by saying that, “Teams just haven’t done a good job on educating fans what they’re selling” and “The bottom line is that almost all seat licenses will appreciate over time”

John Mara spoke to WFAN about the PSLs twice today. He first spoke to Craig Carton of the ‘Boomer and Carton’ program this morning, and you can listen to the interview by clicking here. In the afternoon, he spoke to Chris Carlin and Kim Jones who were hosting the ‘Mike and the Mad Dog’ program today. You can listen to the interview by clicking here. It would be safe to assume that John Mara is taking a lot of heat right now due to this since he is out there talking about it. At least he is out there talking about it. I could see the Wilpon’s who own the Mets hiding if they did something like this. Definitely let us know what you think about the PSLs.

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Below is a letter to Giants Season Ticket Holders that was written by John Mara and Steve Tisch which was released on Giants.com this morning:

Dear Giants Season Ticket Holder:

            As the Giants prepare to defend the Super Bowl championship, and with construction of a new state-of-the-art stadium and team practice facility well underway at the Meadowlands, these are exciting times for Giants fans.

            The new stadium and practice facility are scheduled to open for the 2010 season and will offer Giants players, coaches and, most importantly, Giants fans the first-class facilities, services and amenities they deserve. 

            The stadium has been designed to provide fans with an unparalleled experience on Giants game days including: modernized food service, concessions, and restaurants; expanded team stores; tailgate zones, with improved tailgating facilities; upgraded and additional restrooms; Club seats with outstanding amenities; wider concourses; cutting-edge scoreboards that have in-stadium technology; and much more.  The experience of getting to the stadium will be better too, with improved highway access, redesigned parking lots, and a new rail line serving New Jersey and New York.  These improved amenities, together with the new state-of-the-art playing and training facilities, will position the Giants to attract championship-caliber players year after year. 

            At a cost of over $1.6 billion, the new stadium development is the largest 100 percent privately-financed stadium project in the United States.  As with the other NFL cities that have recently opened new or significantly renovated stadiums, we cannot build these new facilities without the sale of “PSLs” (Personal Seat Licenses) to Giants season ticket holders.  The net proceeds from the sale of the PSLs will be used to pay for the construction of the new stadium.

            Once you purchase a PSL, you can control your seat for as long as the Giants continue to play in the new stadium.  This means that, in addition to having the right to purchase the same season seats every year, you will also have the ability to transfer your PSL to other Giants fans, including to unrelated third parties.

             We are working very hard to develop a program and process for the purchase of PSLs that will provide a broad range of choices to Giants season ticket holders.  Here are a few things we can tell you now.  Each seat in the new stadium will have a PSL.  Over 90 percent of the upper level seats will have a $1,000 PSL.  Less than 5,000 seats in the lower level will have a $20,000 PSL, which will be the most expensive PSL at the new stadium.  The pricing of the PSLs for the other seats in the new stadium has not been finalized, but we hope and believe that you will be pleased with the options when we send more detailed information on the stadium’s PSL programs.  You will begin receiving that information in a few weeks.  The information will be sent out in stages so that our sales team can focus attention on every seat holder.
  
            Thank you for your continued loyalty.  Your ongoing support is sincerely valued, and it is the primary reason this new stadium will become a reality in 2010.

[Signed by John Mara and Steve Tisch]

P.S. As the seat allocation process progresses, you can visit the new stadium’s website at www.NYG2010.com for updates.

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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:

Strahan goes out on top

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.”

STRAHAN LEAVES AS A CHAMPION

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.

More from Plax Pt. 2

More from Plax Pt. 1

Burress sitting out in contract dispute

Shockey’s in Jersey, but not practicing

Strahan’s last play: A glittering goodbye

Strahan played for passion, fans

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NFL.com put together a video clip on Strahan’s retirement.  In it, Giants players react to news of Michael Strahan’s retirement after an offseason practice.  To view this video, click here.

A little while ago, GM Jerry Reese joined the ‘Mike and the Mad Dog’ show to talk about the latest Giants news including Michael Strahan’s retirement.  To hear the interview in it’s entirety, click here.

Giants.com:

Michael Strahan retires - John Mara had this to say about Michael Strahan’s retirement announcement,

Michael called me earlier this morning to tell me he had decided to retire. I told him I was disappointed and that I knew he could still play at a very high level and we were hoping to have him back. But I certainly understand his decision. I told him he’s been a great Giant. He thanked me for everything the organization has done for him. I said, ‘I think you’ve done more for us than we can ever do for you.’

Various other players had quotes in the article as well.

Eisen’s Insight (Video) - Michael Eisen and John Schmeelk discuss Strahan’s retirement.

DE Osi Umenyiora (Video)

DE Justin Tuck (Video)

LB Mathias Kiwanuka (Video)

WR Amani Toomer (Video)

QB Eli Manning (Video)

OTA Report: Wide Receivers (Video)

New York Post:

SHOCKEY’S MINI-DRAMA - Paul Schwartz wonders if Jeremy Shockey will attend mini-camp.

The Star-Ledger:

Runyan, McNabb say goodbye to Strahan

Correction: Presser at 11:30 tomorrow - Michael Eisen announced that the Giants will hold a press conference for Michael’s retiredment at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow.

Pierce happy for Strahan

Strahan’s new team? Probably FOX

Strahan’s decision not about money

Toomer still in denial

Umenyiora on Strahan: ‘He’s going to miss us’

Giants teammates, coaches stunned by Strahan’s decision

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Hopefully you guys are keeping up with all of this Free Agent stuff around the NFL.  Teams are dumping players to get ready for Free Agency which begins at midnight as well as the Draft which is in April.  We aren’t going to cover every team, but there is some intersting things taking place.  I will let you know about the NFC East to an extent, and I will let you know about former Giants.  First, the Eagles supposedly cut Jevon ‘The Freak’ Kearse because he suffered a knee injury in 2006 and didn’t get many minutes in 2007.  Maybe Brian Dawkins will retire soon too…  We’ve heard the rumors that the Dolphins are interested in Reggie Torbor.  Bill Parcells is steering that ship, and may be able to sign Torbor as soon as tomorrow.  The Tuna always has something funny to say, and he was quoted as saying that he doesn’t want any “thugs and hoodlums” on his team.  Can he say that?

Giants.com:

Free Agency 101 - Giants.com provided a glossary of NFL Free Agency terms.

Newsday:

Giants GM Reese unlikely to chase free agents - Bob Glauber reminded us that the only Free Agent that the Giants signed last year was Kawika Mitchell, and it seems like Jerry Reese is only interested in DeAngelo Hall this year.  Glauber said that Hall is asking for close to $10 million so Reese might not go after him.  Bob wrote this about the players on the Giants that are about to become unrestricted free agents,

The Giants have only three unrestricted free agents, safety Gibril Wilson and linebackers Reggie Torbor and Mitchell, and they had hoped to keep them from reaching the open market. A person familiar with the Giants’ situation said it was virtually inconceivable that they would retain Wilson, and that it was “doubtful” they would keep Torbor and Mitchell.

That can come back and bite us in the rear if  we lose one safety and two linebackers.  If Mathias Kiwanuka has a healthy return then that will help fill one of these slots.  It seems like Reese is going to fill the holes with rookies if he doesn’t sign Hall.  The defense is what made that amazing run possible.  I hope that there is a smooth transition heading into ‘08.

Bob Glauber’s top 5 FAs - This is the top 5 Free Agents on Bob Glauber’s list, and he included a brief description about each of them in his article.

• Asante Samuel
• Randy Moss
• Alan Faneca
• Lance Briggs
• Justin Smith

New York Daily News:

Tom Coughlin to get 4 years, $21M - Gary Myers noted that this is the only thing left in Coach Coughlin’s contract, “There are only minor details and contract language to be completed, and the deal could be announced as early as next week.”

Jerry Reese’s way fine by John Mara - Ralph Vacchiano stated that John Mara is very confident in the way that Reese is assembling the roster.  At the bottom of the article, Vacchiano covered three other points as well:

Safety James Butler, a restricted free agent, got a one-year, second-round qualifying offer of $1.47 million from the Giants, who can match any offer he receives, and would get a second-round pick from any team that signs him.

QB Jared Lorenzen got a one-year, $927,000 tender. The Giants can match any offer he gets, but would get no compensation.

DE Adrian Awasom, who was arrested in Phoenix on “suspicion of extreme DUI” a few days before the Super Bowl, was not tendered and will become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow.

New York Post:

BIG BLUE MAY TURN ‘CORNER’ - Paul Schwartz reported that the Giants may or may not go after Hall because of Hall’s baggage.

New York Times:

Tyree Talks the Talk, and Also Wears the Helmet - Nate Schweber described when ”David Tyree spoke to students from Montclair High at the Yogi Berra Museum Wednesday night.”

The Star-Ledger:

Agent: Gibril to test market

Ward on his way out? - Mike Garafolo reported that it is unlikely that the Giants will resign Derrick Ward.  I’m very upset about that.  Ward was solid, and he was the best receiving RB on the Giants this year.  He added to the depth of the position.

NY Giants in search of a safety net

Coughlin to get $21M contract extension, NY Daily News reports

Giants not confident on Gibril - Mike Garafolo lets us know where the Giants and Gibril Wilson stand right now.  Garafolo also stated that Wilson is looking for $5 million per year, and how the Giants might go about replacing Gibril if he ends up leaving.  In my opinion, the Giants still have 22 hours to resign Wilson.  I believe that Wilson knows deep down that he isn’t worth $5 million per year.  Even if the Giants let him go, would the Jags or the Eagles pay that much?  So maybe he will realize that and stay with Big Blue for a little less.

Butler, Lorenzen tendered

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Yesterday, I was wrong about why Tom Coughlin and Jerry Reese were holding those press conferences.  They were holding them to discuss the Combine, not Tom Coughlin’s contract extension.  There is plenty of Giants news today which is surprising because it’s the offseason.  Most of it is revolving around the ongoing rumors about New England videotaping opposing defenses.  Now a story was written about the Giants being videotaped during a Preseason game in 2006, and another story was written on how the Patriots have been doing it since 2000.  Also, there is a rumor that the Giants are interested in trading for DeAngelo Hall of the Falcons.

Newsday:

WFAN’s Boomer, Carton ‘having a blast’ - The G-MEN are not mentioned in this article, but Newsday categorized it as a Giants article. 

New York Daily News:

Giants: We’re open to new Strahan deal - Ralph Vacchiano provided us with a few notes about Big Blue.

• The Giants announced that they might be open to redoing Micheal Strahan’s one-year deal which is currently $4 million.
• John Mara stated that all of the Giants’ Assistant Coaches were given 2-year or 3-year contracts with raises.
• Last, rookie S Craig Dahl had a torn ACL which led to him failing his physical so he was cut by the Giants.

New York Post:

GIANTS TAKING CARE OF THEIR OWN - Paul Schwartz lets us know how the Giants are taking care of their own:

• The Giants and Tom Coughlin are still working on the contract extension.
• Tom Coughlin will speak at the Combine today, and Jerry Reese will speak at the Combine tomorrow.
• Gibril Wilson and Kawika Mitchell are set to become unrestricted free agents so the Giants want to re-sign them before they hit the open market.
• The Giants already re-signed Jeff Feagles and Lawrence Tynes, but they want to bring back Reggie Torbor and Derrick Ward.
• “For the second consecutive offseason, the Giants do not figure to be huge players in free agency. However, according to a published report, they are exploring the possibility of trading their first-round draft pick (31st overall) to the Falcons in exchange for cornerback DeAngelo Hall.”

REPORT: PATRIOTS* TAPED GIANTS IN 2006 - The NY Post continues to use an asterisk next to anything related to the Patriots.  The Post Staff Report wrote this “The Patriots were caught videotaping Giants assistant defensive coaches in the final preseason game of 2006, according to a new report.”  Nowhere does it say ‘allegedly’.  But seriously, nobody cares about the Preseason.  Following that, the Post Staff Report went on to say “The incident led the NFL to send out a letter to teams detailing interpretations of the rule against taping an opposing team’s signals, the New York Times reported today.”  It’s funny though.  You never heard of any of this stuff until the Jets allegedly tipped off the NFL about the Patriots stealing signals in Week 1.  Since then, other teams keep adding their two cents.

New York Times:

New Claim of Taping Emerges Against Patriots - When you open up the article, the picture is of Bill Belichick and Drew Bledsoe so you know it’s old.  John Branch and Greg Bishop wrote that this videotaping of opposing teams supposedly began in the preseason of 2000 (which is when Belichick became the Head Coach of the Pats), and those are the words of a “former Patriots player”.  I find that interesting because in 2007, supposedly none of the players knew what the coaches were doing…hmmm, makes me wonder.  Belichick told Commissioner Goodell that he misinterpreted the rules.  Many people have been questioning how much of an advantage this gives the Pats, so Branch and Bishop included on-the-field examples of how the Patriots would execute play calling by recognizing the formation of the defense.  I wrote it when the New York Football Giants won Super Bowl XLII, and I’ll write it again…God set things straight in the Super Bowl because the Patriots cheated.  The same thing happened in the World Series when the Tigers cheated and lost to the underdog Cardinals.

Giants Set to Reward Coughlin With Multiyear Deal

The Star-Ledger:

Coughlin’s press conference - Mike Garafolo provided the transcript of Tom Coughlin’s press conference.

DeAngelo is in Indy - Mike Garafolo lets you know the rumors why Hall is in Indianapolis.

NY Giants pursuing Falcons’ CB Hall - I already included the rumor about DeAngelo Hall, but he went on to discuss the topic more in depth.  The Giants originally were interested in Marcus Trufant (Seattle) and N’namdi Asomugha (Raiders), but both of them were franchised by their respective team.  Good thing we didn’t end up with Trufant because he was part of that Seattle team that quit once it started snowing in the Divisional Playoffs in Green Bay.  Trufant looked soft and did nothing.  Another player that the Giants were interested in was Asante Samuel (Patriots), but the Giants believe that most of his success has been due to the scheme rather than his individual talent.  Now back to Hall, he’s the real deal as far as Cornerbacks are concerned.  With that said, Hall comes with a whole lot of baggage.  He was fined $100 thousand last season for shouting at the Coach of the Falcons, Bobby Petrino.  Personally, I don’t want any part of DeAngelo Hall.  I don’t want the clowns of the NFL on the Giants.  We have Strahan and that is more than enough for me to handle.  The Giants are expected to cut R.W. McQuarters very soon, and they would cut Sam Madison as well if they work out this deal with Hall.

Coughlin’s deal a matter of time - We already covered the status of Coach Coughlin, but here’s a sidenote at the bottom of the article that I found interesting, “The Giants coaches and scouts had dinner last night at Shula’s Steakhouse in the Westin Hotel that’s connected to the RCA Dome. The irony of dining in a restaurant owned by the coach of the 1972 Dolphins a few weeks after preserving their spot as the only perfect Super Bowl champ in history wasn’t lost on Mara.  “I was a little disappointed to find out Coach Shula wasn’t picking up the tab,” Mara joked.”

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Tom Coughlin will hold a press conference on Friday and Jerry Reese on Saturday.  It will most likely deal with Coach Coughlin’s contract.

Giants fans believe that Gibril Wilson should be franchised.  I’m not sold on that idea, but he obviously should be resigned and paid fairly.

The Star-Ledger:

Mara on Coughlin and more - Mike Garafolo pointed out where the Giants are in giving Tom Coughlin his contract extension.

No tag for Wilson - Mike Garafolo wrote this about the status of Gibril Wilson:

The Giants will not place the franchise tag on safety Gibril Wilson today, according to a team official who requested anonymity because the deadline hasn’t arrived yet. That means, if they can’t reach a deal with Wilson before the start of free agency next Friday, he can leave for another team (the Eagles?) without compensation. The Giants are hopeful something will get done, though

Let the combine begin - Mike Garafolo lets us know that he is in Indianapolis for the Combine.

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