Happy New Year to our Family, Readers and Fans!

January 1, 2012

NEW YORK – I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! I hope you all got home safe if you went out and remember you’re still drunk if you’ve only slept for 3 hours, don’t drink and drive! I know the Giants fans out there are ready for the Dallas Cowboys game today at MetLife stadium at 1:00 PM EST. I’m sure that by the time you read this and have had your coffee, you will be ready for the big game. Not much left to be said about this one, Division rivals with something on the line besides pride. This is a fierce rivalry that got really heated in the 1980’s and 1990’s. The Cowboys are right at the top of the list for hated rivals and Giants fans have no problem telling you about it. It’s best to leave it alone and not dwell on it.

The crazy period of the NFL is upon us and the playoff pictures are clear. This is a very exciting time to be a fan if your team has played well and made the postseason. Anything can happen from this point on and since this is the last week of regular season football, I must say that the playoffs are welcome. The Giants did the best that they could with the personnel on the field. The team was dismantled by injuries once again in 2011 and those injuries caused the rookies and second stringers to gain valuable game time experience that will keep the Giants deep for years. The Giants need their stars and starters back to make a serious run at the Super Bowl in my opinion, I hope I’m wrong but I would be lying if I didn’t say exactly how I felt about this situation.

I hope all of the Giants fans out there enjoy this final regular season game today and let’s get a win for the home team. No matter what is on the line, at the heart of this game, is a contest between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, this story needs no other punch line or reason to happen. That is why I will sit back and really enjoy watching this game.

On behalf of the nygreporter, I would like to wish you all of the best for 2012 and the new year!

How did you spend New Year’s Eve 2011 and how will you spend New Year’s Day 2012?

RD – nygreporter.com – Happy New Year!

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Hurricane Irene Postpones Giants vs. Jets Game…Again!

August 27, 2011

NEW YORK – The storm of the century in the northeast has finally effected NFL football. After the Giants vs. Jets game was re-scheduled to start five hours earlier today at 2:00 PM from 7:00 PM, the game has now been postponed until Monday night at 7:00 PM EST. Hurricane Irene is a monster, there is no question about that. Anyone who saw the satellite images from NASA knows we are dealing with a very angry mother nature. The rain has already started to fall in the New York area and people all across the east coast have been advised to evacuate, some of the towns have even ordered mandatory evacuations. Head Coach Tom Coughlin expressed concern about the storm for the Giants staff, coaches and players yesterday at a ceremony in Bryant Park commemorating the renaming of Giants stadium to the MetLife stadium.

I think both teams have made a very wise decision to postpone the game. I’m not sure how many of our readers have ever experienced a hurricane and the after effects but I can assure you that it is very unpleasant situation to find yourself in. Try to imagine not having electricity, running water or gas for a week. I survived a hurricane down in South Florida in 2005 called Hurricane Wilma and although it wasn’t as devastating as Hurricane Katrina, it was bad enough that they retired the name. I have seen things you would not believe in the aftermath. Imagine there being no running water, no air conditioning, no microwave, no refrigeration, no gas stations, no stove, no house lights, no shower, no computer, no video games, no TV, no phones, no street lights and no toilet bowl. These are just some of the things I remember but there are more. How would you make a cup of coffee? How would you cook food? How would you stay clean? How would you see at night? These are all things you have to prepare for and think about. It is better to have supplies and not need them, then to need them and not have them.

We can only hope that Hurricane Irene calms down and slows down before arriving in the New York area. I also pray for any of the other towns along the coast that it has already effected. Fans must also consider the fact that the Giants vs. Jets game could be cancelled for good at some point. If the hurricane does hit full force, the probability of the game being played anytime soon goes to zero. The storm is expected to hit us sometime tomorrow afternoon. I urge all of my readers to prepare now with the last few hours you have before this storm hits. There is no shame in preparing for the worst and looking out for your family or friends. Keep the kids calm and prepare to entertain them in the stone age with books and crayons because all of the electricity could be gone. Also be sure to check your local town government website right now, for tips on what you should do if things get bad. Be prepared, be safe and God bless!

Do you think Hurricane Irene will force the NFL to cancel the Giants vs. Jets game entirely?

RD – nygreporter.com

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


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: 2011 Training Camp Update

July 8, 2011

NEW YORK – The New York Giants have officially cancelled their annual training camp at the University of Albany in favor of holding it at the Timex Performance Center in East Rutherford. This is not surprising news at all and I actually expected this type of press release sometime this week. The Giants have to make their plans now and cannot afford to wait any longer for the lockout to give them answers. I’m sure this must have been a very difficult decision to make but at the end of the day, they made the correct choice. I applaud them for waiting right up to the last minute to try and salvage their agreement with Albany but ultimately they need to take care of business and they have done so with this decision.

The G-Men have spent the past 15 years up at the University of Albany and have helped support local business’ there during that entire time. The influx of Giants fans to that area during training camp cannot be understated. The biggest question fans have now is about the possibility of being locked out of the practices due to a lack of space. Attendance for these training camps generally bring out tens of thousands of fans annually. I’m not sure how much money the team makes during these summer sessions but I can tell you that they have a ton of Giants merchandise for sale up at Albany. The team has to be losing money by making this choice. However, there was really no other choice that could have been made when you sit back and think about it.

There hasn’t been much reaction from the players or coaches yet because this news is still very new. I’m sure fans will learn more about the team plans and if they will be able to attend a session or two this year. I’m sure that head coach Tom Coughlin isn’t happy about the situation but he will adapt and overcome as always. We are less then a month away from the Hall of Fame game, so getting the players in proper football shape has become the top priority. The 2011 NFL lockout has now reached 119 days and has affected tens of thousands of people during the worst economic crisis in American history.

What do you think about the Giants having to hold camp in East Rutherford this year?

RD – nygreporter.com

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


New Meadowlands Stadium Renamed I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Field

April 1, 2011

NEW YORK – I couldn’t believe what I read just now. It looks like the owners of New Meadowlands stadium, which is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets, have sold the naming rights today. From this day forth, the brand new multi-billion dollar stadium will be called, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Field. Sources close to those involved say that the bid to name the stadium was just too much money to pass up. Apparently, the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” people offered $1 billion dollars for the naming rights and free butter for life for the owners and a 10% discount card for all of the staff and players.

I know some of you are outraged by this blatant “sellout” to the corporate world and non-violent Giants fans are said to be arriving at the stadium with butter knives and arranging them into words, spelling out “Just Say No” on the parking lot ground. Giants fans have also organized a petition and will be voicing their displeasure to the owners later this afternoon during a press conference. They are also raising money for legal costs and plan on letting their season tickets lapse in payment until their voices are heard. The NFL lockout entered it’s 21st day today and may lend fans more time to fight this atrocious name and get the victory in the court of public opinion.

Jets fans are arriving wearing Joe Namath jerseys (the last time they won a Super Bowl) and supposedly think they were invited to vote on the stadium name. After the more informed and intelligent Giants fans let them know the deal has already been done, Jets fans threw their arms up in the air and have been wandering aimlessly in the parking lot yelling J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets to themselves. It’s not pretty at all and I would suggest that any other Jets fans, who plan on traveling to the stadium, should just stay home because you’re not helping the situation.

Most Giants fans wanted to keep the same name “Giants stadium” when the new one was built but the Jets felt like the name should be neutral. After letting the Jets stay in their house for 30 years, the Giants agreed to give it a neutral name since the Jets would now be paying for half of everything. At the end of the day, what does this say about us as human beings? Are we willing to sell our dignity to the highest bidder and allow tradition to be replaced by a butter product that isn’t even butter? That in itself is bizarre and strange. Fans can expect a press conference later this afternoon announcing the new stadium name. As if it helps at all, they say the stadium can now be called ICBINBF for short. How do you even pronounce that? Am I going crazy?

Gotcha! This entire article is an APRIL FOOLS joke!!

In all seriousness though, I hope the owners of New Meadowlands stadium drop the word “new” from that name and just call it Meadowlands stadium. There is nothing “new” about the Meadowlands at all, anyone in the tri-state area can tell you that.

RD – nygreporter.com

Be sure to come back tomorrow and check out a real interview with a New York Giants legend, this part is not an April Fools joke.

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


Tiki Barber is Back, New York Fans Let Him Have it

March 9, 2011

NEW YORK – Tiki Barber is back in the news and this time it was to announce the fact that he has come out of retirement and he is looking to play in the NFL in 2011. This is a brilliant way to get the spotlight on himself and use the media to make some money. He can make quite a bit just doing the interview tours now, since the season is months away. The guy needs money. I will not go into it anymore then that, it is already public knowledge and the talk of coffee shops around the entire tri-state area. It’s a win/win for him. If the CBA talks fall apart and there is a lockout, he can still save face and keep the money earned on publicity. The worst thing that can happen is he returns to the NFL and gets seriously injured.

It sounds like he is doing what he has to do to survive. Some of the New York Giants fans out there are loving this. The hate that Tiki Barber brought on himself by talking too much about Big Blue in public, in a town that hates talkers, has never been quelled. New York loves a comeback and Barber can redeem himself by taking ownership that what he did was wrong, in criticizing the Giants after spending his whole career there. Clearly, his analysis was wrong because the Giants won the Super Bowl that year by beating the undefeated New England Patriots.

The Giants have graciously (sarcasm) announced that they will release Barber from the retired list, so he can seek employment elsewhere in the NFL. The one theory floating around is that Ronde Barber might get him a job in Tampa Bay. Ronde just signed a new short term deal with the team this week. I’m not sure if this will work out or not but it makes sense that his brother would go to bat for him.

The fans have been so vocal about their dislike of Tiki Barber, that I would not be surprised if he had a Oprah moment and broke down. Barber can dismiss the insults in public but it has to hurt when he gets home. New York treated him like one of their own sons and he dissed them on national television. He talked about the head coach on camera too. We all know the history. Once you feel that New York love, it is hard to find anything else like it in the world. The other side of that coin must be the equal but with pain. If Barber wants redemption, he must break free of the arrogance that wallows in his swagger and apologize to the fans and Giants. He must do this to right things with his soul, regardless of where he ends up playing in 2011.

What do you think about RB Tiki Barber coming out of retirement and looking to play football in 2011?

RD – nygreporter.com

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


nygreporter Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary at Midnight!

March 5, 2011

NEW YORK – What a crazy year it has been in the world of sports. I can’t believe we have been up and running for a full year already. I was trying to get our readers an interview with a Giants player for this special occasion and got very lucky, because I have one of the best players on the team answering a few questions for us. I will publish the article tomorrow (Sunday 3-6-11) of an interview I had with a “surprise” New York Giants player (he has since been revealed as WR Steve Smith). I suggest you all come back tomorrow and see who it is that I’m talking about. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Hopefully, we will be able to get more interviews now with Giants players and coaches. I know these are exactly the types of articles Giants fans want to read with their coffee in the morning or at home at night. Some of the other writers here like Josh and Saulo, have been with the website since we first went live. Others such as Andrew joined us last year. I would like to say thank you for all of your contributions and as always guys, I look forward to reading your next articles. What a strange journey it has been to get us here today. At the stroke of midnight tonight it will be one year.

Things will continue to get interesting during the next few weeks with the upcoming NFL Draft, The CBA talks (extended another week), free agency and trades. We will be here to cover it all and give our unique perspective on the team. When Saulo takes a moment from his world travels and gets on his laptop, he usually blesses us with an informed article. We need to read more from Saulo! When Josh isn’t studying for mid-terms or finals, he also blesses our readers with well thought out stories concerning the current state of Big Blue. I am sure we will see more of Josh over the summer. Andrew has been busy lately but he also gives us a great perspective on the team through his work. Thank you once again writers for all that you do and thanks especially to all of our readers who are making nygreporter a respectable family friendly website. We have not wavered from our clean chat policy or managing a safe environment for sports fans.

If any of our readers have a website suggestion, please feel free to leave a comment below. You do not need to be a member of nygreporter (although we hope you will become a member) to leave a comment but you do have to have a wordpress account. To become an nygreporter member, make a wordpress account, then make a separate account for nygreporter.com on wordpress. You can also subscribe to our email list or RSS feed if you prefer. We are always open to hearing new ideas about projects our readers might like to share and we always encourage participation.

Here are some of the more interesting things that happened during the past year.

– Getting to do our first big time interview with New York Giants WR Steve Smith, Steve Smith Interview 3/6/11, nygreporter Edition 0001

Being a “featured” blog on Giants.com and working towards developing a partnership, Giants.com features nygreporter on their Website

The shout out we got from Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger on NJ.com for correctly picking the final score of a game. Here is a link to the story and video, Mike Garafolo Gives nygreporter a Shout Out on NJ.com

Attending the New York Giants 2010 NFL training camp at the University of Albany. Here is a link to the pics, Images

Going on the “Eisen’s Insight Live” podcast and talking Giants football with Michael Eisen and John Schmeelk. Listen for “Robert from New York” at the 16 minute mark of the show. Here is a link to the podcast, NYGReporter Calls “Eisen’s Insight LIVE” on Giants.com

Doing the LIVE updates for the 2010 NFL Draft on the Giants via nygreporter, New York Giants 2010 NFL Draft RECAP

– Calling the “Mike Francesa Show” and talking football with Mike while he was at Giants training camp in Albany. No links are available but it was a good 5 minute talk about the Giants defense.

Getting involved with multiple charities and promoting their causes on our website, American Red Cross – Wounded Warrior Project – A Walk To Believe – A Journey for 9/11

COMING SOON: We are working on a partnership that will allow nygreporter.com to sell New York Giants merchandise. We will ONLY promote New York Giants products on our website.

Feel free to leave your comments below, we would love to hear from some of our readers. Once again, thank you to the Giants community for all of your support.

RD – nygreporter.com – 1 year anniversary 3-6-11

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


An Open Letter to Our Readers: nygreporter.com

March 4, 2011

Dear Loyal Readers,

As some of you may or may not be aware, this Sunday (March 6th), will be the one year anniversary of the creation of nygreporter.com! It has been an incredible year to say the least. As we approach both our one year mark and our 24,000th view, we here at nygreporter would like to take step back and reflect on the year it was. Having started in March of 2010, this site has followed the exact path of a real year in the NFL. As you all know, the seasons official begins in March each year and we have been lucky enough to be here covering the ups and downs of the 2010-2011 campaign.

We were there through all of the botched punts, the 25 interceptions, the horrific and scary losses but we were also there to witness 4002 passing yards and 31 touchdowns, 1235 rushing yards for 1052 receiving yards, we saw 11.5 sacks twice over and a 5 interception season by one shutdown corner. We saw 10 wins, we saw no playoffs, we saw an IR list that looked more closely to the size of an active roster (kidding of course) but most of all we saw a ton of heart from a team that in the end was left defeated yet hungry. I strongly believe that the team has an incredible hunger to win; I see big things in the future for this group of guys!

As far as nygreporter goes? Well, we are hungry too! Hungry to improve, to write better, to write more, to see more traffic and ultimately more success. I see big things in the future for us too. You, as the reader, can expect big things this coming year. We will be here all season long for years to come covering your favorite team, so please, stick with us, support us, spark debate in the comment section, let us know you are here and what you are thinking! We would absolutely love to hear from you! We wish all of our readers the best in everything they do, thank you for sticking with us through our first year we hope you have enjoyed reading our work almost as much as we have enjoyed writing it. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come!

Sincerely,

Josh Berman – nygreporter.com, writers and staff


New York Giants Stranded in Kansas City

December 11, 2010

The New York Giants had to make an unplanned landing in Kansas City today. Their plan left from Newark earlier this morning, but was rerouted to Kansas City when a blizzard hit Minneapolis. ESPN’s Matt Mosley has been providing updates on ESPN’s NFC East blog.

Word is that the G-Men will spend the night in Kansas City and make the reported 1 hour trip for their 1 P.M. start tomorrow morning. The players are said to be in good spirits and Justin Tuck has even been quoted as having said “I bet we end up having a walk-through in one of the hangars”. Hard to tell if he is kidding or not with Coughlin calling the shots.

The league has made no indication as to intentions to move the game back at all, but I am sure they are closley watching how the storm develops and whether or not the team will be able to make it out tomorrow. This will be an interesting developing story to watch; lets just hope it doesn’t affect the players concentration or the way they play against the Vikings on Sunday. In a game that Big Blue is expected to win, and must win, the Giants will need to be focused and sharp as Brett Favre goes for his 298th straight start (he hopes at least) and Eli Manning goes for his 100th straight consecutive start. The Boys in Blue will have some help as Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith, and David Dehil all hope to return to the field.

We will continue to monitor the situation and try to provide details as they come in.

– STORY UPDATE: The New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings game has been moved to Monday night (12-13-10) on FOX at 8 PM EST. It is unclear if the game will air in markets outside of New York and Minnesota areas, the NFL is working on it.

Josh Berman – nygreporter.com

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