New York Giants Roster Moves, Free Agency Signings

March 15, 2012

NEW YORK – To say that the Giants have been busy the past 48 hours is an understatement. The Giants could hit the 15-17 player signings benchmark by tonight if they continue at this pace. I see what Giants GM Jerry Reese is doing and it is fun to take this journey of evolution with him and guess what happens because he is not showing his hand. You must know the team well enough to come up with scenarios and quite frankly, if you’re one of those writers who has given up, don’t steal my formulas or ideas and print them as your own. I read everything related to the Giants daily. It’s like a kick in the gut when you put two and two together and check the timelines for story releases. If you want my work, pay me, don’t be a hack.

Now back to business, the Giants have made about a dozen deals over the last 48 hours and show no signs of stopping today. They know the cream of the crop is almost completely devoured by now and will make a couple more moves in my opinion by Friday night. It’s safe to say the Giants have addressed the tight end and cornerback areas considerably thus far. They also have S Chad Jones, CB Prince Amukamara, CB Corey Webster to work with too and TE Jake Ballard and TE Travis Beckum. How about signing both of the Andrews brothers (Shawn and Stacy)? Get those guys up to speed and on the field together and see what happens. I also think that signing DE Osi Umenyiora, S Deon Grant, LB Chase Blackburn are crucial for the defense and special teams group.

Let’s take a look at what has happened thus far. Giants GM Jerry Reese has solidified the cornerback position on defense. He knows the defensive line is fine but if a good deal presents itself, who knows? He knows the safety group is fine, maybe add one more. This tells me he will be attacking the linebacker group via the upcoming NFL draft. If he catches lightning in a bottle with a future LT, I think he will use the majority of the other picks on offense. I think it will be a LB or OL taken in round one this year. I hope it is another athletic linebacker to help out but at the same time think a ten year offensive lineman is needed right now. The recent roster moves also tell me the offensive line will be addressed via the draft and certainly the running back position.

Here are some of the recent signings by Big Blue this week. Some of the deals did not publicly state the terms.

These roster moves are valid as of 3/15/12 at 8:00 AM:

1. CB Terrell Thomas, 6’0″ 200 pounds – 4 year deal, fair and smart move.

2. WR Domenik Hixon, 6’2″ 185 pounds – 1 year deal, worth the shot.

3. CB Michael Coe, 6’0″ 190 pounds – Smart signing to bolster DB’s.

4. CB Bruce Johnson, 5’11” 185 pounds – Smart signing to bolster DB’s.

5. TE Jake Ballard, 6’6″ 256 pounds – I like this signing a lot. Well done.

6. CB Justin Tryon, 5’9″ 190 pounds – Smart signing to bolster DB’s.

7. QB David Carr, 6’3″ 215 pounds – I have always liked Carr.

8. TE Martellus Bennett, 6’6″ 270 pounds – 1 year deal, smart.

9. P Steve Weatherford, 6’2″ 211 pounds – Franchise tag, brilliant.

10. TE Larry Donnell, 6’6″ 269 pounds – No NFL experience.

11. OL Joel Reinders, 6’8″ 317 pounds – No NFL experience.

Keep an eye on players who were released, free agent markets:

1. RB Brandon Jacobs – Released by team. Surprising move and I hope he can return for a new restructured contract.

2. WR Mario Manningham – I hope we can re-sign Super Mario somehow but right now he is checking out the 49ers free agent market.

3. CB Aaron Ross – Visiting teams as we speak, Washington was the most recent. Really Aaron?

4. OL Kareem McKenzie – Restructure the contract for less money and get that 3rd ring and maybe Ring of Honor one day.

5. S Deon Grant – Both sides need to get this done. I love the way this man plays football.

6. LB Chase Blackburn – This guy is a big deal and he proved it again last season. Give him 3 years.

7. DE Dave Tollefson – He plays with the best defensive line in football and holds his own. Worth re-signing.

8. TE Kevin Boss – Rumors of him returning are doubtful after Martellus Bennett signing. Maybe not?

9. WR Plaxico Burress – Rumors of his return are most likely just that, rumors.

10. WR Steve Smith – This is an interesting possibility if they lose Mario Manningham. It’s doubtful to ever happen.

11. DE Osi Umenyiora – Pay this man the money he has earned and work it out like Manning’s contract or something.

What are your thoughts on the recent transactions made by the New York Giants? Feel free to leave a comment below.

RD – nygreporter.com

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Giants Bag Five After Free Agent Hunting Licenses Are Stamped

March 13, 2012

NEW YORK – It didn’t take long for a new wave of emotion to rush over Giants fans since the Super Bowl win over the Patriots, for a second time, in Super Bowl XLVI. The prospects and free agents are everywhere and there are players for every position. I discussed the fact that the Giants would strike quickly in my article yesterday and the Boys in Blue did not disappoint. News broke before 10:00 AM about the team re-signing CB Terrell Thomas to a 4-year deal worth over $25 million, to the pleasure of Giants fans all over the internet. They followed up by re-signing two more cornerbacks Michael Coe and Justin Tryon. They also signed OL Joel Reinders (6’8″ 317 pounds) and TE Larry Donnell (6’6″ 269 pounds), neither have NFL experience. The entire NFL was set ablaze today with excitement and anticipation of what moves their respective teams might make. I am one of those fans on the most basic level, as we all are, and couldn’t wait to see who the G-Men picked up. Giants GM Jerry Reese does a wonderful job handling these things, even if you cannot see the impact right away, it becomes evident by the end. Jerry Reese, once again, deserves to be NFL GM of the Year!

The Free Agency madness will continue for quite a while but I expect the most damage to be done within the first 48-72 hours. After that, you are picking bones for talent. GM Jerry Reese knows this and knows it makes no difference if you pick up a guy in the first hour or last hour of free agency. The only thing that changes is the level of talent you are getting at a lower price, the further down the rabbit hole you go. I fully expected the Giants to make at least one considerable signing today in an area of need and they did. It just made too much sense not to pull the trigger. If not done by today, then I would have expected them to make two signings tomorrow. Also, prepare to have your hearts broken because there a few fan favorite players that might not be with the team next year. It’s the mathematical part of the game that hurts the most. It’s pure business but a very cold dish to serve.

The Giants have so many free agents this year and very little wiggle room with the cap space. Jerry Reese and the front office will need to make miracles happen. It would be nice to tighten up the defense a little with signing a free agent linebacker with an Antrel Rolle athletic level. But they also need to keep current Giants players under contract for long stretches. There is a lot of work to do but today was a good start. They are not done at all Giants fans, so hold onto your seat. Rumors are still swirling about TE Kevin Boss, WR Steve Smith, WR Plaxico Burress all possibly returning to Big Blue and now news of Dallas TE Martellus Bennett coming to East Rutherford for a visit. Keep an eye on the running backs and linebackers. I think Jerry Reese has made the Giants draft plan a bit clearer with these moves. In my opinion, he still needs to sign DE Osi Umenyiora, S Deon Grant, DE Dave Tollefson, WR Mario Manningham and WR Victor Cruz. Could you imagine the Giants defense if they signed Mario Williams!

Who will be the top three most important free agent signings for Big Blue?

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

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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

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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

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