The haters have already started their assault on New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. After a brief two year hiatus (2007 and 2008) from the negative talk about Tom Coughlin being on the “hot seat”, it seems that following a disappointing 2009 campaign (injury plagued season), the boo birds have picked up where they left off. I’m amazed at all of the negative chatter across the world wide web on this subject. Not only that but I’m shocked at how quickly some fair weather Giants fans can throw their team leader under the bus. Where is the loyalty and respect from these people I wonder? If Coughlin wins the Super Bowl again this year and proves these haters wrong, they will simply apologize and wait for another poor season before crying again. This is a disgusting cycle that some have become eerily accustomed to. To all of you haters I say, let it go.
Tom Coughlin (Giants head coach since 2004) will go down in history as one of the best New York Giants coaches in history. In fact, he might find himself directly behind Bill Parcells at some point, sitting comfortably in the number two spot. Everyone would love nothing more then to win a Super Bowl every single year. Get over it, it can never happen. The NFL is far too competitive and father time takes his toll on all of us. Some make the argument that Coughlin had his success in 2007 and 2008 simply because of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. I can see why they would think that since the G-Men had two outstanding seasons while he was a part of the team. Some might forget that the Giants went to the playoffs for two years straight before Coach Spags arrived. There is no question that Spags had a lot to do with the success but it was more then that. It was a team effort as it always must be in order to be successful.
I hope that all of the haters will remain silent and let the team do their job. I think the Giants will be back in the playoffs in 2010 and I believe they may have found a solid replacement for Coach Spags in Perry Fewell, after a dismal year under former DC Bill Sheridan. Let’s give these guys some time to show what they can do before throwing them under the bus.
Tom Coughin’s career record with the New York Giants.
2004 – 6-10 – 2nd place in NFC East
2005 – 11-5 – 1st place in NFC East – Playoffs
2006 – 8-8 – 3rd place in NFC East – Playoffs
2007 – 10-6 – 2nd place in NFC East – Playoffs – Super Bowl Champs
2008 – 12-4 – 1st place in NFC East – Playoffs
2009 – 8-8 – 3rd place in NFC East
What do you think about the negative talk about Tom Coughlin’s job being in jeapordy? Do you agree with all of the hype or do you think the man deserves a break for everything he has accomplished with the team?
The New York Giants continued to tweak their roster by signing five year NFL veteran WR Derek Hagan to a one year contract. Hagan (6’2″ 215 pounds) hasn’t done much for Big Blue since he came to the team from the Miami Dolphins in 2008. In 2009, Hagan had 101 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. I expect to see Hagan used primarily on special teams but he could get into a few games, if he can impress the coaches. Most Giants fans would prefer to see him do well (myself included), so that the team can be even more effective in the passing game. QB Eli Manning can use all of the help he can get and the re-signing of Hagan shows that Jerry Reese is very intent on keeping Easy Eli happy. A deep group of wide receivers ensures that the team will not be without a backup in that particular area.
There will be a lot of talented receivers on the team in 2010. Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks will more then likely take the one and two spot, while the battle for the third slot will be between Mario Manningham and the rest of the wide receiver group. Ramses Barden is still a very intriguing prospect because of his size and strength. One could say that this year’s first round pick, Jason Pierre-Paul could be viewed in the same light as Barden. Barden was brought in as a project because he came from a small school, exactly the same situation as Pierre-Paul finds himself in. QB Eli Manning had a career year in 2009, even though the team finished with a disappointing record. The WR corps was a big part of his progress and they should all flourish once again in 2010.
What do you think about the G-Men re-signing WR Derek Hagan? What do you think about the entire wide receiver group for the 2010 NFL season?
The New York Giants are a very young team. I was extremely surprised to see just how young, when I checked out the roster this morning (courtesy of Giants.com). I decided to look deeper into the college career of Linval “The Anvil” Joseph today and was going to write an article about him (I’ll get to you soon Linval), when I noticed the “years of NFL experience” next to each players name. Needless to say, I was very surprised at what I read. I started to wonder if I was just getting old and if things had always been this way or if this truly was a youth movement going on in New York. I understand that a player with five years of NFL experience is technically a veteran but I would hardly say that he was an old player. In fact, I would say a player at the five year experience mark is just hitting his prime. I used the five year mark as a starting point and worked my way up the ladder of experience. Players at the four year mark and below would certainly be considered “young” in football terms.
The one thing I learned by taking a closer look at the roster was, the oldest three players and spots on the list, all belong to the offensive line. The New York Giants offensive line is one of the best in football and I am not suggesting that they can’t play anymore, I want to make that clear. There is only one player on the team with ten years of NFL experience and only two players on the team, with nine years of experience. All three of them are starting offensive linemen. Giants GM Jerry Reese addressed the offensive line last year by drafting OT William Beatty and again this year by drafting OG Mitch Petrus. I would love to see the current offensive line play for another decade but it is just not going to happen. There are currently 37 players on the roster with four years or less NFL experience.
Personally, I do not look at this as a bad thing. I think the team is doing exactly what they need to do, in order to make another run at the Super Bowl. I have complete faith in Jerry Reese and the rest of the Giants staff. I also disagree with all of the media hype about Tom Coughlin’s job being in jeopardy this year. The man won the Super Bowl in 2007, coached the team to a 12-4 record in 2008 and was plagued by injuries in 2009. Last year was not coach Coughlin’s fault in my opinion. But enough about my opinions, let’s take a look at what the Giants roster tells us.
The Number of players with NFL experience, by years.
10 years of NFL experience – 1 player
9 years of NFL experience – 2 players
8 years of NFL experience – 1 player
7 years of NFL experience – 2 players
6 years of NFL experience – 4 players
5 years of NFL experience – 6 players
What do you think about the youth movement going on in New York? Is this something that will help or hurt the team during the 2010 NFL season?
I would like to talk about CB Aaron Ross for a bit today. This is one of the most intriguing issues the Giants will face in 2010. Ross was a budding star before his injury plagued 2009 season. Reports came out saying that he was unsure about his NFL career and if he even wanted to play anymore. Not exactly the type of talk you want to hear from your starting cornerback. Most of what came out of Ross’ mouth, was due to the depression he must have felt about not being able to play. He is an extremely competitive guy and I imagine that the frustration got the better of him that day and the media ran with his comments. Ross is a Super Bowl Champion and knows what it takes to get there again. He must know that he is an important part of the puzzle and that the team needs him. We know his heart is there, now we need to know that his body can do the work.
CB Terrell Thomas has emerged as the number one cornerback on the Giants defense and I’m curious to see who will be starting opposite him. If Ross is healthy, he will certainly get his starting role back but if he can’t go, things will get extremely interesting. There are only seven cornerbacks on the current roster and three of them are rookies. CB Corey Webster (the senior CB with five years of NFL experience) would seem to be the obvious choice to replace Ross if he can’t play.
Let me be clear, I am a fan of Aaron Ross. Like many Giants fans, I would love nothing more then to see him running around and making plays for Big Blue. When I spoke with Michael Eisen and John Schmeelk of Giants.com last week, I brought up the subject of Ross’ health and didn’t receive a definitive answer from them. I didn’t get the feeling that the guys were hiding anything but rather, they truly don’t know what will happen. Eisen said that Ross continues to work hard on his rehab and we will have to wait and see how that translates to the field. A bad hamstring can be a lingering problem and something that could resurface from time to time.
What do you think about the current cornerback situation in New York? Do you think the team needs to grab another free agent CB or are you confident with the players currently on the roster? How important is it that CB Aaron Ross return to the field?
NYGReporter was representing on Tuesday, as we called into the Giants.com radio podcast “Eisen’s Insight LIVE” and talked to the guys over at the stadium. The show is hosted by Michael Eisen and John Schmeelk. I called in as “Robert from New York” and can be found at the halfway mark of the show. I asked the guys about safety Kenny Phillips’ injury status and how he is progressing. Michael Eisen said that he was coming along well but he will need to give it the final test on the field to really know for sure. He also said the team is being “cautious” about announcing anything definitive concerning Phillips. I’m sure that I am not the only Giants fan concerned about Phillips’ situation because he is one of the most promising athletes the Giants have. We all wish him a full and speedy recovery.
I also asked about RB Andre Brown (ruptured achilles) and CB Aaron Ross (hamstring) and how they were doing, after both had suffered injuries in 2009. Again, Michael Eisen said that both of them were coming along fine and that it was a good thing (as good as it can be) that Brown got injured last August, so he had time to fully heal. Eisen also mentioned that Ross will need to get on the field and see how the hamstring feels before he will know anything for certain. Aaron Ross plays a huge role in the Big Blue secondary and Brown was touted as a possible break out star when he was drafted in 2009. The fans certainly hope that both of these men will be good to go in 2010.
It was a brief talk during the podcast but I found both Eisen and Schmeelk to be good guys. I have followed their work for quite some time and had a lot of fun being on their show. I was going to ask if I could say a plug for NYGReporter.com but wasn’t sure if that would be a conflict of interest, maybe next time. Enjoy!
I will leave a link to the Giants Radio podcast below, so that our readers can listen to it for themselves. Remember to have the volume turned up on your computer when you click the link.
Hello Giants Fans, I don’t know about you but my head is still spinning from last weeks 2010 NFL Draft. There were some significant roster moves made by the New York Giants this past week. I will give a brief breakdown of the actions taken by Big Blue and give you my thoughts on them. I like what the Giants are doing this off season. I believe the front office has made the team better with a very good draft and by bringing in some valuable free agents. The team also lost some very good players including Antonio PIerce and Fred Robbins, we have yet to see how the team reacts to those losses. I firmly believe the New York Giants will return to the playoffs in 2010 but I am unsure how far they can go beyond that.
Please feel free to leave your own opinions in the comment area and let us know how you think the player moves will effect the team.
– Jeff Feagles has officially retired from the NFL after 22 years. Feagles is a guaranteed Hall of Famer and he will be impossible to replace. Hopefully, either Jy Bond or Matt Dodge can step up and give the team some peace of mind.
– The New York Giants signed 13 players this past week. These are players that will be on the team during training camp and possibly the practice squad. It would be wonderful to see one of these young players step up and make a name for themselves. I’m rooting for them to do well in an unlikely situation. The players include CB Seth Williams, LB Lee Campbell, DT Nate Collins, QB Dominic Randolph, TE Jake Ballard, WR Tim Brown, WR Duke Calhoun, WR Victor Cruz, OT Dennis Landolt, C Jim Cordle, CB Leon Wright, DE Ayanga Okpokowuruk and S Michael Greco.
– Gerris Wilkinson was re-signed by the Giants to a one year contract. This is a good signing for the Giants but Wilkinson will need to play well this season if he wants to be on the team in 2011.
– The New York Giants began their rookie minicamp this past week with 56 players trying to prove that they belong on the team.
– The New York Giants training camp dates have not been announced yet but should be soon. I will include the dates in our “Events” section here on the top toolbar when they are available.
What do you think about all of the Giants actions from this past week? How do you feel about Jeff Feagles retiring?
It feels so good to be back and writing about the New York Football Giants. For any of you who have been able to follow my writing over the last year or so you have probably noticed that sporadic is an understatment. Don’t get me wrong I love talking football, and that never stops (ask my friends, they take motrin because of me), but I’m not always good at getting my ideas down on….paper for lack of a better noun. Point is, I herby solemnly swear to update you with breaking news, thoughts and opinions as they form, hence the “Weekly Update: Edition 1”. P.S. you can follow me on twitter for more frequent notes: http://twitter.com/Josh_Berman
Anyway on to this weeks post!
Draft is done, I’d like to tip my hat to Rob for some truly excellent draft coverage, and to the Giants for a truly excellent draft. We have a few projects but the coaching staff is well equiped to bring these guys along. If you wanted my honest, pessimistic, realistic opinion I’d tell you the Giants are not Super Bowl bound in 2010. I think the draft did one very important thing however, it set the Giants up for glory in 2011. Looking ahead to that year, the G-Men will almost defiantly lose a defensive end (probably Osi), but now they can afford too, and it sets them up to draft offensive line and running back in the next draft making the team complete and frankly; scary!
Moving on to update number two, I attended the Big City Lacrosse Classic 4/10/10 in the new stadium, and let me tell you the stadium is huge. Dwarfing Giants Stadium, which is right next door, and looks well…awesome! It really has a unique exterior look which will be identified with Big Blue for years and years. The interior was somewhat sparse, and the third concourse wasn’t quite finished as it was still sectioned off, but it’s a lacrosse classic…can’t expect much. Food pricing wasn’t as awful as reports indicate, however I don’t know about beer (not 21). But if you think about it they make the prices high so fans don’t get totally trashed, I mean come on, you’re telling me if beer was $2 you wouldn’t have like 6? All in all it was a great experience, I even stood on the sideline for a little (turf felt nice). Plus, Syracuse destroyed Princeton so my day was complete!
So that’s all for now, again sorry I haven’t written more, been doing a lot of college prep/finishing senior year stuff (I’m heading to Syracuse University next year just as a side note haha). I promise I will update weekly or you can come and yell at me all over the comments thread. Bye for now!
The 2010 NFL Draft is officially over and we can now step back and take a look at what the team has. Like a child ripping through his/her Birthday presents like a chainsaw, fans were getting one surprise after another. This was one of the most fulfilling drafts in recent memory. Even though my player predictions were wrong fifty percent of the time this year, I am still walking away from it knowing that the team got better. With that in mind, the joy of doing the research and scouting fades away. The New York Giants have seven new players to welcome and see what works best. This is about as exciting a group of players as the team has had in a long time. Training camp in Albany can’t come soon enough if you ask me. There are going to be some epic battles on the defensive side of the ball at the linebacker and defensive lineman positions.
My thoughts on each player selected this year. DE Jason Pierre-Paul could be the new Javon Kearse. The guy is a tremendously gifted athlete who is eager to learn. That is the kind of combination that spells solid NFL career. I can’t wait to see him on the field. DT Linval Joseph can be as good as he wants to be. The big guys in the middle have one of the toughest jobs in the NFL. There is a lot to absorb both physically and mentally in the trenches and I think Joseph is up to the task. S Chad Jones, who I believe was a steal in the third round, will prove to be a very valuable pick in the future. This kid has been on my radar for months and I’m very happy that Jerry Reese was able to grab him where they did. I think it’s safe to say that the safety position has been addressed by the G-men. LB Phillip Dillard seems to be a player that will get some time to show what he can do. He had a very good combine workout and should be in the LB fight for a starting role. OG Mitch Petrus is a big guy who fills a need area. The Giants definitely needed some depth on the offensive line and now that have it. I thought the team would have come away with a Center as well but one thing at a time I guess. LB/DE Adrian Tracy is a guy who they will be experimenting with in a couple of different positions. He also had a good combine workout and is a gifted athlete. P Matt Dodge was brought in to add some fire in the Punter competition. All-World punter Jeff Feagles is uncertain if he can continue for another year after 22 in the NFL. Jy Bond and Matt Dodge will battle it out in training camp, if Feagles can’t go another year
I want to be clear about my feeling on the new three day draft event too. I do not like this new system at all and I hope the NFL goes back to the traditional 2-day draft weekend schedule. It was a nice experiment but really way too drawn out. Having a 3-day draft weekend is like staying that extra day in Las Vegas, nothing good can come from it. Not to mention the fans on the West Coast who were probably really upset that it was 3:00 PM when the draft kicked off Friday. Please go back to the 2-day draft weekend NFL, why mess with something that wasn’t broken?
Here is a recap of who the New York Giants selected. Nicknames provided by the NYG Reporter (you heard the nicknames here first, spread the word).
ROUND 1 – DE Jason “Wild Thing” Pierre-Paul, 6’5″ 270 pounds, South Florida
ROUND 2 – DT Linval “The Anvil” Joseph, 6’4″ 328 pounds, East Carolina
ROUND 3 – S Chad “Keepin’ Up With The” Jones, 6’2″ 221 pounds, LSU
ROUND 6 – LB/DE Adrian “Yo” Tracy, 6’3″ 248 pounds, William and Mary
ROUND 7 – P Matt Dodge “Viper”, 6’1″ 225 pounds, East Carolina
What do you think about the New York Giants 2010 NFL Draft? What grade would you give them for this year? I am giving Jerry Reese and Co. an “A”. Welcome to New York!
The New York Giants select Punter Matt Dodge from East Carolina with the final pick of the 2010 NFL Draft. He is 6’1″ 224 pounds. The 2010 NFL Draft is now officially over for Big Blue. We will need to take a closer look at what the Giants have done this year. Be sure to come back and check out the recap article to come tomorrow. Please feel free to leave your comments below with your opinions. I would love to hear what some of you think about the Giants 2010 NFL Draft. This has been one of the most surprising (in a good way) drafts in recent memory. it could prove to be right up there with the likes of the 2007 NFL Draft.
I’m not sure how most of the other Giants fans are going to take this but this kid may be the cream of the crop for punters in 2010. I don’t remember seeing any punters or kickers get drafted before this one. If the guy is worth it and can perform, I think this was a smart pick by the team to get some depth and competition for training camp.
I can’t say that I even remember the last time the Giants drafted a punter but I would be happy to lock one down for the next 5 years here and now if that’s the case. Recent reports say that Feagles and Coach Coughlin have been talking about feagles future and if he can continue after 22 years in the NFL. feagles will be in the Hall of Fame one day for certain. We here at the NYG Reporter wish him well with whatever he chooses to do.
What do you think about the New York GIants selecting punter Matt Dodge in the final round of the 2010 NFL Draft?
The New York Giants select LB Adrian Tracy with the 184th overall pick in round six. He is 6’3″ 248 pounds and played at William and Mary college. Jerry Reese has been killing his picks all weekend. He gave the linebacker position a double tap to be sure it was taken care of. This 2010 NFL Draft reminds me of the 2007 NFL Draft. The Giants will be walking away with playmakers and extremely strong young men. Reports have swirled about DT Joseph and OG Petrus being two of the strongest physical players in the entire draft. It is a shame that the media isn’t giving Jerry Reese more credit for this draft. It seems like I have heard very little about the New York Giants all weekend while watching it LIVE.
I really like the team taking a chance on a linebacker this late in the draft. Hitting this position twice just shows how serious the front office is about creating some competition during training camp in 2010. I’m extremely excited to see which player rises to the occasion and becomes the new middle linebacker on Big Blue. I am confident that the G-men have drafted no less then three future starters for the team.
What do you think about the New York Giants sixth round pick of LB Adrian Tracy? Check out his impressive combine workout on NFL.com before you make your decision.
RD – NYGreporter.com
PS – ESPN has cut to commercial on three different New York Giants draft picks. Roger Goodell needs to explore his options about who airs the NFL Draft from now on. I was mad enough in round two but you have got to be kidding me now? Really ESPN?
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THE 2011 NFL LOCKOUT IS OVER AS OF 7/25/11. The lockout lasted (136 days). **A judge ordered the end of the NFL lockout for 4 days on 4/25/11 but I do not subtract those 4 days from the total.