Giants Roster Shakeup Continues as Regular Season Nears

August 25, 2011

NEW YORK – The Giants have come a long way since Monday night. The only problem is they have headed in the wrong direction. I’m one of the most positive Giants fans you will ever come across and even I’m concerned now. Giving a pep talk doesn’t really mean anything when we are discussing the talent on the roster. That speaks for itself and it always confuses me when people talk about staying positive when the team loses star players due to injury. Positivity has nothing to do with on field production. I’m a positive guy but the reality is that the team needs to get some talent on the field and quickly because we are about two weeks away from the start of the regular season.

The Giants have lost CB Terrell Thomas, CB Bruce Johnson, CB Brian Witherspoon and DT Marvin Austin for the entire 2011 season. Johnson and Witherspoon were cut because of their injuries. Rookie CB Prince Amukamara will also be out for 6-8 more weeks due to a fractured foot. Over the past week, the team has also cut CB Woodny Turenne, S Cary Harris, WR Sam Giguere and LB Kenny Ingram. Has anyone else noticed the large amount of defensive players that have either been cut or landed on the season ending IR list? Of course you have. That is why I am concerned and a pep talk just won’t cut it for me at this time. The one player currently on the roster that I would like to see get some playing time is CB Brian Jackson. I have been the only writer I’ve seen so far talking about Jackson (6’0″ 212 pounds) and calling for him to get a shot. He is a quality player and wonderful human being and someone you want on your team. I hope he gets a chance to win over the coaches and fans this year.

The Giants have addressed the massive loss of talent by signing three players over the past week. The new signings include CB Brian Williams, S Derrick Martin and DT Jimmy Kennedy. The Giants also re-signed S Deon Grant, which could end up being one of the most important signings this offseason. The backfield still has a lot of talented guys back there but depth is the real issue. I doubt if GM Jerry Reese is done bringing in players. He is using a pragmatic approach to dealing with these injuries and quite frankly, I don’t think there is a better way to handle it. I also agree that a few of the younger players will need to step up this year and contribute to the team. They may be thrown into the fire but how they react to that will decide their future with New York. It doesn’t seem fair to these players but hey, life isn’t always fair.

On a sad note, the Giants have officially sold the naming rights to Giants stadium. Fans will now have to tolerate it being called the MetLife stadium for the next 20 years. Of course, the true blue fans (like me) will forever call it Giants stadium.

How would you solve the recent issues facing the New York Giants?

RD – nygreporter

Please visit www.hampscamp.com and donate/contribute to Rodney Hampton’s charity for the kids!


Giants Lose Star CB Terrell Thomas For the Season

August 22, 2011

NEW YORK – It is every NFL coaches worst nightmare scenario. Playing in a preseason game and losing a star player for the year to injury. The New York Giants have lost starting CB Terrell Thomas for the year on a bizarre play in which Jason Pierre-Paul’s leg whipped around and hit Thomas in the leg. Yes, it is the dreaded torn ACL injury that all fans know too well. I really feel bad for the guy because we all know how hard he worked during the offseason to better himself. Justin Tuck was on television being interviewed during the game and was asked what he thought about the loss of Thomas, Tuck simply said “it’s devastating”. That might be an understatement. With the Giants looking very thin at the CB position even before this horrible news, they now need to get to work on bringing in adequate backup players. The Giants lost CB Bruce Johnson for the year due to injury and also rookie CB Prince Amukamara for a couple of months with a fractured foot.

This will most likely leave CB Corey Webster and CB Aaron Ross as the two starters. Both of those guys are very capable of filling in but the real question becomes one about depth. The Giants are very thin at one of the most crucial positions in the game of football. Head Coach Tom Coughlin looked like he had seen a ghost when Thomas went down just before the half. Somehow T2 managed to walk off the field on his own but once the team came out of the locker room from halftime, the news broke about Thomas’ injury and his season being over. I can honestly say that I gasped at the news when I first heard it and still haven’t really digested the information yet. Thomas led the team in tackles last year and is clearly a defensive leader for the team. You simply cannot replace the production and a talent like that but the team will need to bring in someone who can fill in temporarily.

CB Michael Coe, CB Brian Jackson and CB Brian Witherspoon could be worked into games as fill ins too. But I still think the team will have to bring in a veteran CB for the depth chart to be even remotely near the talent they lost thus far. Rookie CB Prince Amukamara will return later in the season but I doubt they will throw him in the fire after returning from an injury. Things are about to get very interesting in the backfield and I fully expect to see a new face in Giants blue sometime this week.

How much will losing CB Terrell Thomas for the year hurt the New York Giants?

RD – nygreporter.com

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Steve Smith to Eagles Will Hurt More Then You Think

August 16, 2011

NEW YORK – It has been about a week since the news broke about WR Steve Smith going to the rival Philadelphia Eagles. I didn’t write an entire article on this subject because I was still in a state of shock and denial about it for most of this time. It is time for me to give this topic a full article. Now, I know the Giants have some great young WR’s on the team and I know it is time for them to step up. But we are talking about Steve Smith here and not some run of the mill player. Smith is a Super Bowl Champion and Pro Bowl player who was QB Eli Manning’s favorite safety valve. Manning must be fuming at the reality of losing so many of his familiar faces on offense (Smith, Boss, Hedgecock, O’Hara, Seubert, Andrews). I think the game on Saturday showed that he was rattled and will need to put in a lot of work with the new guys before he can settle down.

Giants fans were absolutely disgusting in their remarks to Steve Smith after hearing the news. Some were wishing him dead or for him to get a worse injury then the one the 26 year old is already mending. I couldn’t believe some of the venom being thrown at the man who just 24 hours earlier was a fan favorite. Of course, I understand their anger about him going to a division rival and you could compare it to breaking up with a loved one and saying things that you don’t really mean. I was honestly shocked too by the news that he would accept that deal and jeopardize the New York love he had received so deeply. Apparently, there were some things that did not make it to the press about his situation and following his exodus from Big Blue, there were a ton of back and forth remarks that raised some eye brows. The Giants say they offered him a $35 million dollar deal last year and Smith’s camp says that it never happened. Someone is lying but fans will have to wonder who it is. It’s just plain ugly, either way you look at it.

I think we can all agree that WR Hakeem Nicks is the No.1 WR on the team. The one thing I am certain of is that the Giants do not have a better No.2 WR then Smith on the team. A lot of fans will say that Mario Manningham is better then Smith but I disagree. I am not saying that Manningham is a bad WR at all. In fact, Mario is one my favorite players on the team and can handle his business with the best of them. What I’m saying is that Mario hasn’t done what Smith has done yet. Is the potential there? Sure it is. But we will need to see what happens on the field before making a final assessment. Some will say that Manningham would have taken the No.2 WR spot anyway and that Smith would be the No.3 guy. OK, let’s look at that then for the sake of argument. As far as there being a better No.3 WR on the team, there isn’t. There just flat out isn’t anyone who matches up with Smiths talent that deep into the roster and if you think there is, you’re kidding yourself. Smith holds the all-time single season receptions record for the New York Giants with 107 and until another WR comes close to that kind of production, I simply cannot compare them to Smith.

Steve Smith was the first interview ever for nygreporter. I cannot ever thank him enough for doing that for me (thank you to N.S. and Smith’s agent again for helping set that up). I will forever be a fan of his for that reason (except when he plays the Giants of course) and will always consider him a first class guy off the field. You can check out the interview I did with him here: Steve Smith Interview 3/6/11, nygreporter Edition 0001

Now that you have had some time to really think about the Steve Smith departure, what are you thoughts about it?

RD – nygreporter.com

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Giants Lose Half of their Starting Offense in 2011

August 11, 2011

NEW YORK – The New York Giants might have to change their name to the New Look Giants this season. The team has been hit with a string of bad news (karma is a female dog) in recent weeks and the team has lost half of their starting offense. The news about WR Steve Smith going to the rival Eagles yesterday sealed the deal for me. I have been a very big fan of GM Jerry Reese and have showered him with praise since the first year he came to the team. But even my faith has been shaken by the mass exodus of pro bowl athletes in 2011. Think about this for a moment, the Giants have lost OL Rich Seubert, OL Shaun O’Hara, TE Kevin Boss, FB Madison Hedgecock and WR Steve Smith. All five of these guys were starters in an offense that requires eleven men. You do the math.

The Giants also lost some other quality guys such as OL Shawn “Fan Fav” Andrews, DT Barry Cofield (who also went to division rival, the Redskins). They are in a contract battle with all pro DE Osi Umenyiora, they lost CB Bruce Johnson to injury and cut him. They signed TE Ben Patrick who turned around and retired on them and they have lost their 1st round pick CB Prince Amukamara for two months. When it rains, it pours. There were other transactions made but these mentioned are the big deals and the team still hasn’t addressed all of the free agents that need signing. The Giants play their first preseason game in two days and will need to get a ton of new players up to speed on the playbook and the system. I’m not sure how they will fair but I wish them good luck with that.

I cannot remember a year in recent memory where the Giants lost so many quality players within a one month period of time. I’m not sure if there ever was a similar situation in team history. Yes, the team has signed some players but they hardly replaced all of the talent the team lost. I hope Jerry Reese knows what he is doing because this will be an unrecognizable group of players on the field to the true blue fan. The fact that the team was six million dollars over the salary cap certainly plays into the mix but that also begs the question of why? Who was watching the salary cap and allowed this to happen? Rabid fans have been calling for the head of Jerry Reese and for changes in the front office as a whole. I will keep my opinions to myself until I see what the team does in 2011. I will not panic but I am certainly deeply concerned.

What are your thoughts about the recent roster moves made by the Giants?

RD – nygreporter.com

Please Support The Wounded Warrior Project by Clicking Here, You Are Not Forgotten!!


New York Giants Continue Adding and Subtracting Players

July 27, 2011

NEW YORK – It has been absolutely insane the past two days. Today we saw some interesting moves made by Big Blue. The first thing I would like to mention is the classy move to extend head coach Tom Coughlin’s contract through the 2012 season. Tom Coughlin deserves to remain with the team despite what the “experts” say about him being on some invisible hot seat. Coughlin is an elite head coach and a proven winner. As a fan, I am very happy to see John Mara reward Coughlin for his hard work and show how valuable he is to the organization. Congrats on your new contract coach and I hope you can stay another ten years.

Another coach that was hired today is assistant special teams coach Larry Izzo. Fans have known about this move for weeks. The Giants have been horrible on special teams the past couple of years. There is just no other way to say it. The Giants actually lost games due to the poor play of special teams and Jerry Reese took notice because he addressed that area during the draft and yesterday when he worked on the undrafted rookies. Izzo was an outstanding special teams player when he played in the NFL and spent the bulk of his career with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins. He is a three time Pro Bowl player and a three time Super Bowl Champion.

The Giants were unable to work out a deal with DT Rocky Bernard, so he is expected to be released soon. This does not surprise me at all but does make me wonder if the team could have kept DT Barry Cofield if the news was announced prior to him making a six year deal with the Washington Redskins this morning. The team is going to miss Barry Cofield and I was pleased to hear they fought to try and keep him. The Giants have become very deep at the DT position with young talent but losing two veterans could hurt them a bit. The Giants are also looking to sign RB Ahmad Bradshaw, RB Brandon Jacobs and TE Kevin Boss. These three guys were in the news the most today as the front office clearly turns it’s attention to the offense. WR Plaxico Burress is back in the mix as a possibility to return and he is expected to meet with the Giants on Friday.

Let’s take a look at some of the moves/deals over the past 48 hours.

1. C Shaun O’Hara – expected to be released.

2. OL Rich Seubert – expected to be released.

3. OL Shawn Andrews – expected to be released.

4. DT Barry Cofield – six year deal with Washington Redskins.

5. DT Rocky Bernard – expected to be released.

6. Coach Tom Coughlin – signs contract extension through 2012.

7. Coach Larry Izzo – hired as assistant special teams coach.

8. OL David Baas – agreed to a deal with Giants via 49ers.

9. OL Kevin Boothe – signs two year deal with Giants.

10. WR Plaxico Burress – meeting with Giants on Friday.

How have you been keeping up with all of the transactions going on with Big Blue and the NFL?

RD – nygreporter.com

Please visit www.hampscamp.com and donate/contribute to Rodney Hampton’s charity for the kids!


New York Giants Continue to Reshape Team with More Moves

July 27, 2011

NEW YORK – The New York Giants had a wonderful day by any measure of success in obtaining undrafted rookies yesterday. However, they also caused some waves among Giants fans by releasing some “fan favorite” players. After the news broke about the teams plans to release C Shaun O’Hara and OL Rich Seubert, the team followed up with more bad news by not coming to terms with OL Shawn Andrews. That means three offensive linemen have been cut or released in one day. This has left fans scratching their heads because it was very evident that the offensive line needed help before these cuts. They did re-sign OL Kevin Boothe to a two year deal but he is primarily a backup. The Giants have also reportedly agreed to terms with OL/C David Baas (6’4″ 330 pounds) who played his first six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. Fans have come to trust GM Jerry Reese and I’m sure he has a plan but this is asking for a whole lot of trust.

Fans awoke today to more bad news, when they read that DT Barry Cofield will be leaving the team and going to the Washington Redskins of all places. Reports have him signing a six year deal with the division rival. This is another move I just don’t understand. Barry Cofield had become one of my favorite players because all he did was shut his mouth and do his job. The coaches must have seen something that I didn’t because Barry appeared to be the only steady rock in the middle of that defensive line. I truly wish him well and hate that he will be playing across the line from us for at least six years.

The Giants have been working hard to re-sign RB Ahmad Bradshaw and believe it or not, the team had been talking with WR Plaxico Burress for much of the day yesterday. Coughlin even came out and said he did not mind speaking to Burress, which he will do today. I’m not sure how realistic it is to think Plaxico will return to New York after all of the bad things he said about not wanting to play for Coach Coughlin but crazier things have happened in the past. It is unclear who the G-Men will target in free agency after clearing up some cap space by releasing all of these players. They may have to just sign all of their own players and only get one or two free agents off the market. The Giants have just placed the offensive linemen position on top of the “need” chart by making all of these moves. I’m very surprised they didn’t take measures to replace them prior to announcing the cuts. That only tells me that GM Jerry Reese must be targeting at least one big time offensive lineman from free agency. The madness is far from over so stay tuned for more updates fans.

Are you surprised by all of the player moves Big Blue has made so far?

RD – nygreporter.com

Please Support The Wounded Warrior Project by Clicking Here, You Are Not Forgotten!!


New York Giants to Release Seubert and O’Hara

July 26, 2011

NEW YORK – What a shock is was today to hear the names Rich Seubert and Shaun O’Hara mentioned with player cuts. These two gentlemen made up 40% of the starting offensive line. These two guys have been with the team for a very long time and the announcement today said that both would be released within the next day or two. It felt like I had the wind knocked out of me. My first question was why? In both cases, it appears that injuries played a role in the decision to release them. Knowing that still doesn’t take the sting out of actually hearing it out loud and realizing another era of Giants football has come to an end.

There are some who think the Giants will re-sign one or both of these guys to to less expensive contracts. It would be wonderful if their theories came to fruition but it still won’t change the fact that things will never be the same again. This is simply the beginning of the end. I really respect these “good guys” and hope that something can be done. Reports say the team will save $5.3 million dollars by making these roster moves. Regardless of these cuts, they would still be over the cap limit by about $1 million dollars. Another thing to consider is that losing two quality players at crucial offensive line positions, seriously jeopardizes QB Eli Manning’s Iron Man streak.

Center Shaun O’Hara is 34 years old and has played 12 years in the NFL. He played four seasons with the Cleveland Browns and the last seven years with the Giants. Shaun is a three time Pro Bowl player and Super Bowl Champion. OL Rich Seubert is 32 years old and has played 11 seasons in the NFL, all of them with the New York Giants. Seubert was an undrafted player who worked his way up from the bottom and was extremely valuable as an interchangeable lineman. His hard worked paid off and led him all the way to becoming a Super Bowl Champion. I understand that both of these men are no spring chickens but I truly believed they had a few more years left in them.

I do not want to speculate on replacement players because I think it would be rude to do that so soon. Quite frankly, GM Jerry Reese must have a plan we don’t know about because there doesn’t seem to be enough players on the current roster to fill the void. It took me a couple of hours to write this article because the news was so sudden and unexpected. I still don’t fully believe this is happening. I would like to personally say thank you to both Rich and Shaun for all of the great years they gave the team and the fans. You will both be sorely missed.

How do you feel about the news that C Shaun O’Hara and OL Rich Seubert will be released from the team?

RD – nygreporter.com

Please Support The Wounded Warrior Project by Clicking Here, You Are Not Forgotten!!


The 2011 NFL Lockout Ends After 136 Days of Stress

July 25, 2011

NEW YORK – The 2011 NFL lockout has finally come to an end today on the 136th day of the lockout (I do not subtract the 4 days a judge ordered the lockout stoppage in April). Thanks for the ulcer and 4 1/2 months of worrying. Maybe next year you can finish me off by telling me the Giants will be relocating to Oklahoma City or something like that. After all of the bickering and posturing, both sides have finally agreed to a deal and saved the 2011 season. I know that I am supposed to be overwhelmed with joy and excited but strangely I’m not. I feel like someone who went through a draining court process for half a year. I really thought I would feel excited but this sense of relief is still dominating my mind. I’m sure this feeling will change in the next day or two once the fire returns in my belly. I won’t have time to digest everything that has happened because football business will explode at a rapid pace now.

NFL teams can sign their free agents and begin negotiating with unrestricted free agents tomorrow. They can also start talking about trades with other teams and start talking with undrafted free agents as well. Let’s not forget all of the rookies from the 2011 NFL draft class, they need to be addressed too. The new rules on the 10 year deal are still very foggy but I expect team lawyers to pull an all-nighter to get themselves up to speed. We’ve got training camp starting in 4 days (reportedly this Friday) for Big Blue and the preseason starting in about two weeks. The NFL cancelled the Hall of Fame game and all signs point to preseason games beginning on August 11, 2011. This is going to be a very turbulent few weeks for Giants fans because there are going to be some players that leave the team. These are players that will make your heart break. There will also be some excitement for the new players the team brings in but it always hurts when you lose an old friend.

Be sure to check back with us a few times per day because the articles will be pouring out now to keep up with the news. There isn’t much to report yet except to say that things are about to get stupid, silly crazy! I’m actually starting to get excited now and should be on red alert by the time I’m finished writing this article. I would like to say good luck to all of the Giants free agents, I hope you can all come back. I would also like to say farewell to any players who might leave the team and I want to let you know that once you’re a Giant, you’re always a Giant to New York and the fans! Best wishes and good luck to you guys. And to the fans I ask, are you ready for some football?

What have you learned from the 2011 NFL lockout and how has it affected you as a fan?

RD – nygreporter.com

Please Support The Wounded Warrior Project by Clicking Here, You Are Not Forgotten!!


These So-Called Giants “Experts” Are Trying to Sell Newspapers

April 4, 2011

NEW YORK – If I hear one more New York Giants “expert” say that the G-Men “need” to draft an offensive tackle in the first round, I’m going to freak out on an embarrassing level. The Giants DO NOT need to use their first round pick on the OT position. I would draft a DT (very deep draft at DT) before I took an OT in the first round this year. Now, if they took an offensive lineman (center) I wouldn’t be surprised but it shouldn’t be an interchangeable OT/OG/C, it should be a true Center. I wouldn’t be surprised if they took C Mike Pouncey, who seems to be the best available center when the Giants draft at the 19th overall spot in round one. But to say that OT is the area of most need in this years draft and worthy of the 1st pick is insane. Don’t believe the hype! (thanks Chuck)

It makes me angry when I read about the lack of respect for the current group of Giants offensive tackles. I think they have some good young talent at the position and have enough experienced players to do just fine in 2011. OT William Beatty and OT Adam Koets will be better this season. OT David Diehl and OT Kareem McKenzie are veteran players and OT Shawn Andrews can contribute in certain situations very well. They also have a couple of guys on the reserve squad that will get work. Yes, the team will need to use a high draft pick on an OT one year but not this year.

Clearly, the center position needs to be addressed. To be blunt, it is because all-world C Shaun O’Hara, whom I have tremendous respect for, is getting a bit older. They need to get a young true center into the system this year. I am still hoping the team can get C Stefen Wisniewski. Maybe use the 19th overall pick on a LB or DT then trade back up into the back end of round one or frontside of round two to grab Wisniewski. Could you imagine if the G-Men were able to draft LB Akeem Ayers and C Stefen Wisniewski by trading a 2nd and 6th round pick to move up for Wisniewski? That would be a very successful first two picks for Big Blue.

If you are one of the believers that think the team needs to draft an OT in round one, you’re going to have to leave a comment below and explain why it needs to be done in this years draft. I’m sick of all these cliquey Giants websites who think they know everything and are never open to debate. Gimme some elbow room. They want to generate website traffic at any cost. These are the same websites that feel the need to monopolize the market and suppress any new talent that seeks their advice or council. Let’s have a debate and see who can come the closet to correctly calling the draft by position this year. Of course if RB Mark Ingram is available at the 19th pick, all bets are off.

Here are my draft picks by position. We can call this the “Damien Draft 2011” from the Omen film because of the three 6th round picks they have. I don’t like that omen and hope they trade away a pick or two, so they can move up for better talent in the early rounds. Of course, any trades before the draft could change everything entirely. This also includes if the Giants trade picks to move up, this list is based on todays roster only.

New York Giants 2011 NFL Mock Draft by Position

Round 1 (19th pick) – DT or Center/OL

Round 2 (52nd pick) – LB

Round 3 (83rd pick) – CB

Round 4 (117th pick) – OL

Round 5 pick – traded away for RB Darius Reynaud

Round 6 (185th pick) – LB

Round 6 (198th pick) – TE

Round 6 (202nd pick) – RB

Round 7 (221st pick) – CB

RD – nygreporter.com

Please support the Eric LeGrand charity walk this June 4, 2011! Check it out at http://www.awalktobelieve.org


nygreporter.com and shop.giants.com forge Merchandising Partnership

March 11, 2011

NEW YORK – We have finally locked down a partnership with Shop.Giants.com. That means you can now find official New York Giants merchandise on our website. This is something that I have wanted to do for a while and think our readers will appreciate the convenience of going straight to the official New York Giants team store if they decide they want to buy something. If you want to learn how you can do this for your own website, using your own favorite team, I suggest you check out an affiliate program and learn how to Find a sponsor for your web site. Get paid for your great content.  You get a percentage for using team ads. You will need to get approved and once you do, just become a partner with a merchant, such as shop.giants.com. As you can see, there are no minefields of advertising to maneuver around on nygreporter and we intend to keep it way. However, we do want the fans to have access to Giants products.

You all know that too many advertisements can ruin a good website. Pop ups and the loud ones are avoided like the plague. That is why I will not let ads ruin our website. You will only be able to purchase New York Giants merchandise on this website. Of course, NFL gear for the NFL Draft, NFL Pro Bowl and the Super Bowls to be included too. But you will never find the clutter we have all come to loathe. You can be sure your getting official Giants gear when visiting us here. I mean, think of the possibilities, you have Eli Manning jerseys and  Steve Smith jerseys and you have a host of other Giants jerseys you can choose from as well. You can always get a team hat if you need a gift for a sports fan. You never see anyone get mad over getting a hat. Other items that nobody ever gets mad at receiving are team T-shirts, just make sure you know the right size.

It’s nice to know that you can always just go straight to specific catalog areas if you feel like browsing too. After all, it can get pretty cold in East Rutherford during the winter at New Meadowlands stadium and people will need to dress warm while they wait for the game to start, tailgate gear might be just the thing you’re looking for. I am proud to have Giants products available on my site, I know our readers are people who represent their team to the fullest. All of this talk about “stuff” has me wondering what your most prized Giants possession is? Mine revolve around meeting a player usually but what are yours? Feel free to leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

What is your most prized New York Giants possession? My favorite is a helmet that Michael Strahan personally signed for me.

RD – nygreporter.com

Please support the Eric LeGrand charity walk this June 4, 2011! Check it out at http://www.awalktobelieve.org