Giants Getting Ready to Get Down to Business

July 28, 2011

NEW YORK – Giants owner John Mara said he expects to have a “naming rights” deal in place for the stadium before the season begins in September. I’m sure that we will hear news on this very soon, within a week or so. This might seem like a small piece of business considering all of the madness going on with the players but fans better familiarize themselves with it. They will be looking at it for a lot of years to come. As I’ve said many times, it will always be Giants stadium to me but the thought of calling it the MetLife stadium for a decade is vividly unappealing. However, I understand why the Giants and Jets need to do this, I just wish it could be named the JetBlue stadium or Green Giant stadium.

Then we have training camp opening tomorrow at the Timex Performance Center for the first time in team history. The training camp practices will be open on a “first come, first serve” basis because of the lack of space. There will be a capacity of about 2,000 fans allowed to enter, so be sure to get there early if you want to get in. Also, be sure to bring a few bucks for the parking (camp itself is free) and any merchandise you want to buy. You can bring photo cameras with you but no video cameras. It is always a good idea to bring some water and snacks with you too if you have kids. It really is a unique experience that I recommend to all Giants fans.

Fans can expect a ton of player news to drop during the day today. Be sure to come back and catch up on all of the news with us. I expect some of the players to be released today and maybe get a few of the current players on the roster re-signed. RB Ahmad Bradshaw, RB Brandon Jacobs and TE Kevin Boss top the list for today. WR Steve Smith, DE Osi Umenyiora and DE Mathias Kiwanuka have to be crucial re-singings as well. These six guys make up a ton of production for Big Blue. Stay tuned for the good and bad news that is sure to follow at some point today.

Are you excited about the 2011 NFL season kicking off soon?

RD – nygreporter.com

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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!!


Big Blue is Making Waves Early in the Free Agency Pool

July 26, 2011

NEW YORK – The Giants have started making roster moves. The biggest signing of the day was Boston College star LB Mark Herzlich. This is a kid that seems to charm everyone he meets and he has also shown his inner strength by beating cancer. I do not want to focus too much on him beating cancer (awesome story) because I’m sure this young man wants to put that all behind him and focus on the future. I hope other sports writers will leave him alone about that too. Let the kid play football now.

Giants GM Jerry Reese continues to show why he is an elite general manager in the NFL by having a great morning in the free agent market. The collection of undrafted rookies he has made deals with all bring unique talents to the table. Of course, Herzlich was projected to be a first round pick before he got sick and I have been hearing a lot of good things about this fullback Hynoski.

I will list a few of the players below but this is by no means the complete list. These are just a few players the team has worked on this morning. You can absolutely expect the list of players to grow but I thought I would give our readers a taste of what the day has brought so far. You can expect the madness to continue throughout this week and all the way up until the season starts. The two biggest needs for Big Blue are linebackers and offensive linemen.

Let’s take a look at some of the players the Giants were able to grab today.

1. LB Mark Herzlich – 6’4″ 250 pounds, Boston College

2. FB Henry Hynoski – 6’2″ 260 pounds, Pittsburgh

3. DB David Sims – 5’9″ 200 pounds, Iowa State

4. DT Martin Parker – 6’2″ 303 pounds, Richmond

5. LB Spencer Paysinger – 6’3″ 235 pounds, Oregon

6. DE Justin Trattou – 6’3″ 250 pounds, University of Florida

Which player are you hoping the G-Men will re-sign out of the current Giants free agents?

RD – nygreporter.com

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


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!!


New York Giants QB Eli Manning is a Superhero

July 19, 2011

NEW YORK – The New York Giants have a superhero on the team. I know it sounds strange but it’s true. Can you guess which superhero I’m talking about? I’m talking about QB Eli Manning being an Iron Man in the NFL. I have talked about this in previous articles as one of the many achievements Easy Eli has accomplished so far in his short career. I simply added it to the list of other achievements such as Super Bowl MVP, Pro Bowl player and Super Bowl Champion. The NFL Iron Man title is reserved for the players who have the most consecutive career starts.

I was a bit shocked when I checked this out today and realized that Eli Manning is ranked 6th for quarterbacks on the all-time consecutive starts list with 103. Yes, you heard me correctly, he is ranked 6th All-Time in NFL history. He is also ranked 3rd among active players, his brother Peyton is ranked 2nd all-time with 208 starts, trailing only Brett Favre who sits on top of the list with 297 consecutive starts. Only Peyton and Eli have active streaks in the top 10 still going right now as well. The others on the list have had their streaks snapped at some point. That Favre record is amazing considering all of the injuries that occur on the field each and every year. If things go right for Eli in 2011, he will easily overtake the No.5 position on this list by week 5. By week 9, he will have surpassed Tom Brady for the No.4 position on the list and by week 14 he will hurdle over Ron Jaworski for the No.3 spot. I do not want to jinx Manning which is why I am writing this article before the season starts but it’s pretty cool to think he will be ranked 3rd on the all-time list by seasons end if things go well.

I will leave the list below for all of our readers to check out and I would love to hear your opinions on this subject. Is this a record that deserves more attention such as the Cal Ripken Jr. consecutive starts record for baseballs Iron Man title? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that football is much more violent then baseball. While Ripken’s record is extremely impressive for baseball, it cannot truly be compared to the staggering 297 consecutive game streak held by Brett Favre. This is just my opinion, what do you think?

The NFL All-Time Consecutive Starts List for QB (Iron Man Streak)

1. QB Brett Favre, retired – 297 consecutive starts. The number is 321 if you include the playoffs.

2. QB Peyton Manning, active – 208 consecutive starts. The number is 227 if you include the playoffs.

3. QB Ron Jaworski, retired – 116 consecutive starts. The number is 123 if you include the playoffs.

4. QB Tom Brady, active – 111 consecutive starts (*streak ended in 2008). The number is 128 if you include the playoffs.

5. QB Joe Ferguson, retired – 107 consecutive starts. The number is 110 if you include the playoffs.

6. QB Eli Manning, active – 103 consecutive starts. The number is 110 if you include the playoffs.

Are you surprised to find out about this ongoing accomplishment by QB Eli Manning?

RD – nygreporter.com

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


2011 New York Giants Free Agent Frenzy

July 18, 2011

NEW YORK – The New York Giants have a lot of work to do once this lockout ends. They have some really good players that need new contracts. WR Steve Smith, RB Ahmad Bradshaw and DT Barry Cofield are the top three in my opinion. Some will disagree with my assessment but some will also agree with me. There will be areas of need that will arise out of the pile once the free agency madness begins. DE Osi Umenyiora is one of the big time players seeking a new contract as well, even though he still has 2 years left on his existing contract. The guy backed up his talk by having an excellent 2010 season and in my opinion deserves a better contract. DE Mathias Kiwanuka and RB Brandon Jacobs are no easy fixes either.

Ahmad Bradshaw’s agent Drew Rosenhaus came out in the news today and said that although Bradshaw would prefer to stay in New York, he would also not mind playing for the Miami Dolphins if a deal could not be worked out. While this appears to be a game of trickery of the agents part to strike some fear into Big Blue, agents should be very careful when dealing with the Giants or they just might oblige. The weather might be nice down in Miami but they have not be relevant for decades in the football world. Going to Miami would be about the money and the weather, while staying in New York would be all about the Championship rings.

DT Barry Cofield was also in the news over the weekend and rumors have started swirling about him possibly going to Washington if things can’t be worked out in New York. I really like Barry Cofield and hope they can make a fair deal to keep him. Cofield has been the biggest anomaly on the team as far as I’m concerned. The previous rumors of draft day trades and the lack of a new contract really have me dumbstruck. Perhaps the coaches see something that I am missing because he seems solid as a rock in the middle of that defensive line. Another player and former Giant who may end up playing in the same division (NFC East) is WR Plaxico Burress, who could end up in Philadelphia of all places.

The player who is the most important re-signing of 2011 is WR Steve Smith. The Giants offense has a better rhythm with him in the games and QB Eli Manning has really leaned on the sure hands of Smith, now that the two have become more aquatinted with each other on the field. Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham are awesome wide receivers in their own right but Steve Smith is the glue that holds that passing attacking together. Smith and Bradshaw seem to be the two locks for re-signing in my opinion. With the lockout expected to end any day now, fans better get ready for the free agent frenzy that is right around the corner.

Which player signing should be the number one concern for the Giants during this free agency period?

RD – nygreporter.com

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


New York Giants Will Be Ready When Lockout Ends

July 16, 2011

NEW YORK – There has been a ton of viral chatter concerning the 2011 NFL lockout ending this upcoming week. After 127 days of back and forth meetings, it would be nice to see it finally come to an end. If the lockout ends sometime next week, it doesn’t leave much wiggle room for teams to prepare for the season. The Hall of Fame game is on August 7, 2011 (3 weeks away) as I have mentioned several times in recent articles. I firmly believe that ending the lockout is more about money then it is about love. Chalk one up for Captain Obvious!

The one thing that I do know, is the fact that Head Coach Tom Coughlin will have his team ready to play on September 11, 2011. Even the players themselves have been mentioning how it won’t be that difficult to get back into football shape. Antrel Rolle was even quoted as saying he would only need a couple of weeks. Most of the players have been working out on their own or putting together “player only” practices. The difference here is that you don’t have the entire team in front of you to evaluate. Tom Coughlin will be all over the player evaluations on day one. Let’s hope there aren’t any guys out of shape or overweight because that would only slow the process down and ultimately hurt the team.

I am still 50/50 on the lockout ending this upcoming week. Everyone seems extremely confident that it will end but a monkey wrench can get thrown into the mix at any time. My optimism has become pessimistic on this subject. However, I absolutely do not think the season will be cancelled. The owners aren’t that crazy. They will get a deal done that they can live with for a short period of time until the next round of negotiations occur. Fans can expect an absolute tidal wave of information to come at them from the first day business resumes. Everything will be illuminated and fans will be speed reading articles until the first game of the regular season. Free agency will be particularly fun to watch. The Giants still have a ton of talented players that need contracts and they will no doubt have to make some tough decisions. There is a ton of drama in this area. I am mostly excited to see what the rookies can do. This was a very good class of rookies that GM Jerry Reese was able to draft. Prince Amukamara and Marvin Austin are going to be beasts in the NFL.

The G-Men will surely bring in one or two new faces as well. If I had to guess a position, I would say a linebacker and offensive lineman but I wouldn’t be surprised if they grabbed a running back as well. These players would add depth and not challenge for starting roles in my opinion. The Giants defensive linemen and defensive backs are solid. They also have a solid wide receiver group. Those three areas need no help in my opinion. The Giants have learned from the past two injury plagued seasons and will not get caught without depth again. The coaches are fired up and ready to get back to work and the fans are going to absolutely explode once the news of the lockout ending is announced.

Are you excited about the recent news of a potential end to the 2011 lockout next week?

RD – nygreporter.com

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


2011 New York Giants Fantasy Football Companion

July 12, 2011

NEW YORK – The 2011 NFL lockout has now reached 123 days. Reports have been circulating with the positive news that a deal could be made within the next week or two. Of course, they have been saying the same thing for over 4 months now but with the preseason so close (August 7, 2011), they may be telling the truth this time. If the season is truly going to be saved, then it is time to discuss fantasy football for the millions of people who enjoy playing the game every season. I will only be talking about New York Giants players in this article.

The first player we must discuss is WR Steve Smith. This is the steal of the entire fantasy football world for 2011 in my opinion. I have completed drafts in several leagues already and have been baffled by the fact that WR Steve Smith has gone undrafted in each and every one of them. I have been very fortunate to pick him up in every single one of my leagues without even drafting him. Knowing Smith will be available greatly effects draft strategy because you know you will get a quality WR on the back end, which allows you to focus on the running game or other areas of need early on. Smith has said that he is recovering from an injury very well and he will be ready for the 2011 season. Steve Smith will be the steal of this draft year in my opinion.

The following player list will show the player values for the 2011 fantasy football season. The players will listed in the order of their overall fantasy value. This list reveals my opinions only and should not be compared to any other fantasy ranking system. I have won a ton of fantasy championships and have over a decade of experience which makes me a fantasy expert. Of course, anything can go wrong at anytime and injuries could seriously effect the following predictions.

New York Giants Fantasy Football

1. QB Eli Manning – Manning has been putting up big numbers in recent years and I expect that trend to continue. Easy Eli responds to criticism very well and after being snubbed from the NFL Top 100 list, I expect Manning to play with a chip on his shoulder. Look for Eli to throw for 4,000+ yards and 30+ TD’s in 2011.

2. WR Hakeem Nicks – Nicks has the potential to be an all-pro player. I expect 1,200+ yards and 10 TD’s minimum from him in 2011.

3. New York Giants Defense – The Giants defense is simply scary. If they can remain healthy they will be a top 3 defense in 2011.

4. RB Ahmad Bradshaw – I am assuming the Giants will re-sign the speedy Bradshaw. If they do, Bradshaw will rush for 1,000+ yards and 7 or 8 TD’s.

5. WR Steve Smith – Smith is another player I assume the Giants will re-sign. Smith can easily eclipse the 1,000 yard receiving mark and pull down 5 TD’s.

6. RB Brandon Jacobs – I believe the Giants will utilize Jacobs the proper way in 2011. They will give him the ball more and give him the goal line carries. I expect Brandon “The Bull” to rush for about 700-800 yards with 10 TD’s.

7. WR Mario Manningham – Manningham has shown flashes of brilliance and should have 750 yards and 8 TD’s. Mario might have more if there are any reoccurring issues with Steve Smiths injury.

8. TE Kevin Boss – Boss has been plagued by injuries but should still grab 600-700 yards and 5 TD’s.

9. WR Victor Cruz (sleeper pick) – I like this kid a lot. If he gets an opportunity to log serious playing time due to player injuries, he could really do some great things. Either way, I expect him to flourish on special teams in 2011.

Do you play fantasy football and if so, would you agree with the list above? Would you add/subtract anything to/from the list?

RD – nygreporter.com

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