Die Hard Giants Fan

On Tuesday, TMZ ”has learned that the romance between Jessica Simpson and hotshot QB Tony Romo is as dead as the Cowboys’ 2007 playoff run.”  I was under the impression that they ended their relationship as soon as the Cowboys lost to the Road Warriors in the Playoffs.  I guess they rekindled their relationship.  Oh well.  Since Tony Romo is 0-2 in the Playoffs, we’ll have to see how Romo screws up in the 2009 Playoffs.

Giants.com:

Giants and WNBC-TV Partnership - Giants.com announced that the New York Giants and WNBC-TV today announced that they have entered into a multi-year agreement for the network to broadcast Giants preseason games.  NBC will televise two 2008 Preseason games.  The voice of the New York Giants, Bob Papa, will handle the play-by-play duties along with Carl Banks and Howard Cross.  That sounds good to me.  How come we can’t get our guys during the Regular Season and the Postseason?

Good Situation - Michael Eisen pointed out that Andre’ Woodson will get a chance to learn behind Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning.

Mailbag - Michael Eisen answers questions posed by Giants fans.

New York Daily News:

Michael Strahan has a plan about future but keeps it quiet

New York Post:

STRAHAN  NOT SAYIN’ IF HE’LL DO IT AGAIN

The Star-Ledger:

Veteran DE Wynn visits - Mike Garafolo reported that DE Renaldo Wynn visited the NY Giants.  According to Wynn’s agent Peter Schaffer, Schaffer says that, “He had a good visit and there’s interest on both ends. We’ll continue to talk and see what develops.”  Wynn has been around for a decade, and he’s played for the Jaguars, the Redskins, and the Saints.  If you would like to check out Renaldo Wynn’s Player Profile on NFL.com, click here.

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Yesterday, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Post wrote an article about how Andre’ Woodson was supposed to be selected in the second round, but the Giants picked him in the sixth round.  Vacchiano also talked to Woodson and found out what he thought after falling well below expecations.  If you really think about it, it must be rough on an athlete who is told by people that they will be selected in a certain round and then it doesn’t happen.  Well, who are these people?  I don’t know the answer in general, but I found out something interesting Woodson’s case.

Today, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com wrote a post titled, “DID MCSHAY MISLEAD WOODSON?”  Todd McShay is an what ESPN calls an “expert” scout who put together a Mock Draft on ESPN.com.  In this Mock Draft, McShay had the Bears picking Woodson in the third round.  Obviously, that didn’t happen which is why Florio began investingating this situation.  Florio found out about McShay through sources, and this is a small sample of what the source had to say,

The problem with people like McShay is that they have no accountability.  They can say what they want and when they are wrong no one cares, [except] the kid’s family.  McShay could not get a job with any NFL team, even as an intern.  He is a very poor evaluator.  He proved it with his evaluation of Woodson.

This quote goes on and on, and you can check out the source if you want to read it in it’s entirty.  You get the gist of it.  If you try to open up the Mock Draft that McShay put together, it comes up as “null” because it was taken down.  So the problem is that the media hires unqualified people to do the job who make more money than real NFL scouts.  And guys like Andre’ Woodson are the people getting all bent out of shape when they get selected three rounds lower than ESPN’s “experts”.  I barely even watch that channel anymore because it changed a lot over the last few years.  There are too many clowns on that channel, regardless of the sport.  I watch Sports Center when I want to know what’s going on, but most of their Analysts on other shows bother me.

New York Daily News:

Giants ink former Rutgers product - Ralph Vacchiano lists the roster moves that the Giants made yesterday.

New York Post:

JINTS SNAP INTO ACTION - Paul Schwartz pointed out that the Giants might actually try to get a long snapping specialist on the team this year because they signed Nick Leeson yesterday.  All Leeson has to do is make the roster.

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Boy, I love it when Phessional writes a post out of nowhere.  Don’t you love that attitude?  I miss the energy that he brings to blogging.  It’s quotes like this that make me want to go watch the Divisional Round Playoffs again, “We are still being categorized under the Cowboys and can’t wait to turn these knuckleheads’s brains around.”  I hope the Big Blue Wrecking Crew can find a way in ‘08 to get Jerry Jones’ face the same way as it was after the Giants beat the ‘Girls in the Playoffs.  And make T.O. cry again…And continue to not allow Tony Romo to get a Playoff win.  That was priceless, can it happen again?

Now back to the Giants, Phessional wrote that he heard that Jeremy Shockey may be traded for Ray Lewis.  I cannot find anything supporting that, but rumors are rumors.  Some are real and some are not.  I hope that’s not the case.  I do not want Shockey because he whines like a girl, and he practices with his college squad rather than his NFL team.  Shockey has expressed that he wants to play with an offense like New Orleans because he played under Sean Payton when Payton was the Offensive Coordinator under Jim Fassel.  Shockey preferred to have 1,000 receiving yards, without blocking, when the Giants were 4-12 than have 600 yards when the team won the Super Bowl.  The Shockey news is old already, and he is still on the roster.  This Lewis rumor is new, and I’ve never heard it before.  If I don’t want Shockey for whining, then you know I don’t want a murderer.  Strahan, and his wife beating, is more than enough for a Giants fan to stomach.  It’s like I said last summer, I wish that Strahan would retire before the Giants won the Super Bowl because I don’t want to have to root for scum.  I want to root for classy guys to win the Super Bowl.  The Giants put us fans in an awkward situation by putting these guys out on the field.  The good thing is the Giants only have one mistake.  If I was a Bengals fan or a Cowboys fan, then half of the team is a mistake.  So I hope the Ravens offer Lewis an offer he can’t refuse so no more rumors even surface about him.

Giants.com:

Roster Moves - Michael Eisen reported that the Giants today announced the signing of seven players who attended rookie mini-camp on a tryout basis.

Additions:

• DT Brian Soi of Utah
• DT Nate Robinson of Akron
• DE Alex Morrow of USC
• DB Miguel Scott of North Carolina State
• DB Terrance Stringer of Tuskegee
• Long Snapper Nick Leeson of Virginia Tech
• OL Jacob Hobbs of the University at Albany.

Waived:

• LB Rory Johnson of Mississippi
• DT Joshua Muse of Louisiana Tech
• Punter Owen Tolson of Army

Terminated Contracts:

• TE Eric Butler of Mississippi State
• Guard Carnell Stewart of LSU.

Fans Take - A Giants fan expresses his thoughts on the Giants’ improbable 2007 season.

Newsday:

Rookie Giants DB Thomas is pro system friendly - Tom Rock wrote up an article about the Giants 63rd pick: DB Terrell Thomas of USC.

Shockey, Strahan status not definite - Tom Rock wrote, “The two most talked about players this offseason were talked about again Saturday. While Giants offensive and defensive coordinators Kevin Gilbride and Steve Spagnuolo spent some time discussing the rookies they are mentoring at this minicamp, questions inevitably turned to Michael Strahan and Jeremy Shockey.”  Multiple stories have been written about this story already.

New York Daily News:

Andre’ Woodson miffed by Giant drop - Ralph Vacchiano pointed out that Andre’ Woodson was supposed to be selected in the second round, but the Giants picked him in the sixth round.  Vacchiano found out what Woodson thought after falling well below expecations.

New York Post:

KNOCK ON WOOD - Paul Schwartz stated that the Giants want to develop Andre’ Woodson into a solid backup QB.

The Star-Ledger:

Giants add 7 rookie FAs, cut 5

Safety first at Miami - Mike Garafolo pointed out how successful the Safeties at Miami who went pro have been, historically.  One should conclude that Kenny Phillips sould be able to live up to the hype.

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Michael David Smith at ProFootballTalk.com also assembled a Giants Minicamp Report.  For the most part, it is the same as what is below.  The other day, Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger stated that Kenny Phillips might be wearing No. 21 as a tribute to the late Sean Taylor.  According to multiple articles below, it turns out that he was correct.

Giants.com:

Transcript: Coach Tom Coughlin - Giants.com had a Q&A Session with Tom Coughlin.

Rookie Mini-Camp Report - Michael Eisen reported on the first day of practices that the Giants held with 2008 rookies.

Transcript: LB Bryan Kehl - Giants.com had Q&A Session with Bryan Kehl.

Transcript: QB Andre’ Woodson - Giants.com had a Q&A Session with Andre’ Woodson.

Newsday:

Rookie Phillips grabs No. 21 in homage to Taylor - Tom Rock informs us as to why Kenny Phillips wants to wear No. 21.

New York Daily News:

Mario Manningham is a test case - Ralph Vacchiano lets us know why Mario Manningham is on a “short leash”.

New York Post:

TALK TO STRANGERS - Paul Schwartz stated that Coach Coughlin plans on having a chat with the rookies about his expectations.

MARIO LOOKS SUPER AT GIANTS MINICAMP

New York Times:

Safety Set to Blaze Path With Familiar Number

The Star-Ledger:

Even Gilbride’s unsure about Shockey - Mike Garafolo captured Kevin Gilbride’s thoughts on the Jeremy Shockey situation.

Woodson and Manningham hurt

Giants can invest long-term in Woodson - Jenny Vrentas discusses Andre’ Woodson’s role on the team.

Phillips’ 21 is a tribute

Afternoon practice report

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Your Super Bowl Champion New York Football Giants are at the White House today.   How cool is that?  According to Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger, the NJ.com website is going to have live video coverage of the ceremony which begins at 3:20 p.m.  A link will be added to the NJ.com home page prior to the start of the event.  This can be hysterical so don’t miss it.

Giants.com:

Shock the World - According to Michael Eisen, Sinorice Moss will try to prove critics wrong in ‘08.

Newsday:

Giants veterans well aware of numbers game - Tom Rock explained how veterans can get cut when young players that are inexpensive perform better than expected.

Champion Giants to be honored at White House - Tom Rock informed us that, “The Super Bowl champions will be honored by President Bush in a ceremony on the South Lawn this afternoon. While many of the players spent yesterday gearing up for their first encounter with the commander in chief and a behind-the-scenes look at the building in which he lives and works, Manning spoke about sitting down with him in the Oval Office two months ago for a chat.”  The Giants are at the White House.  I can’t wait to hear what stupid things Mr. Strahan and others say to President Bush.  I’m sure it will be in the papers tomorrow.

New York Daily News:

Giants’ Sinorice Moss playing catch-up

New York Post:

NOT A GIANT CONCERN - Paul Schwartz says that the veterans are not concerned about the draftees.

The Star-Ledger:

Giants at the White House today - live video - Mike Garafolo wrote, “NJ.com will feature live video coverage of the event, scheduled for aproximately 3:20 p.m. Go to the NJ.com homepage for a link that will go up in plenty of time to catch the ceremony.”

Moss welcomes Manningham - Mike Garafolo explains why Sinorice Moss was so excited when the Giants drafted Mario Manningham.

Lorenzen (genuinely) scared by Woodson - Mike Garafolo found out what Jared Lorenzen thougth when the Giants drafted Andre’ Woodson.

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At the end of the NFL Draft, here’s the list of the players that the New York Giants selected (click on the player’s name to view the NFL.com Draft Player Profile):

• Round 1, Pick 31 (31): Miami FS Kenny Phillips
• Round 2, Pick 32 (63): Southern Cal CB Terrell Thomas
• Round 3, Pick 32 (95): Michigan WR Mario Manningham
• Round 4, Pick 24 (123) (From Steelers): BYU OLB Bryan Kehl
• Round 5, Pick 30 (165): Vanderbilt LB Jonathan Goff
• Round 6, Pick 32 (198): Kentucky QB Andre’ Woodson
• Round 6, Pick 33 (199) (Compensatory selection): Southern Miss DE Robert Henderson

According to Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Eagles are suing Terrell Owens “in an attempt to recover the bonus money Owens never paid after being suspended for the final seven games of the 2005 season.”  The Eagles and their fans have never given up messing around with T.O.  It keeps going on and on.

New York Daily News:

Former coach Lloyd Carr says Mario Manningham is Giant bargain - Ralph Vacchiano found out what former Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr thinks of Mario Manningham being drafted by the Giants.  Here’s what Coach Carr had to say about Manningham.

I think Mario is a good person and he’s made some choices that he has apologized for. I believe him. I’m confident that he’s going to have a very good career.

He went to the combine without much preparation because he had a problem with his agent. He’s made some mistakes. Yet I think he’s with an organization that will give him good support. I think the biggest thing is, I’m sure and I’m confident that he’s learned some things in this process. He’s a young guy.

The biggest thing is that he has an opportunity now to go to a great organization in a very, very difficult environment, where the expectations are big, the media and scrutiny in New York certainly is as intense as it gets. But he’s got an opportunity to go in with a great young quarterback, an organization that’s coming off of a Super Bowl, so he couldn’t ask for a better opportunity. And I think we’re all confident that he’s going to take advantage of that.

New York Post:

NO GIANT SHOCK-ER - Paul Schwartz explains why he believes that keeping Jeremy Shockey in New York was the right move.

JINTS GIVE DT A SHOT - Paul Schwartz wrote an article about the undrafted free agents that the Giants are interested in.  Like Mike Garafolo of The Star-Ledger wrote yesterday, Paul pointed out that one of the undrafted free agents named Nate Robinson came out of Irvington, NJ.  Schwartz lets us know what Robsinson has been up to since graduating from Irvington.  At the bottom of the article, Paul wrote, “Some of the free agents expected to sign with the Giants or be invited to next month’s rookie mini-camp include:”

• S Nehemiah Warrick (Michigan State)
• DE Wallace Gillberry (Alabama)
• DE Antonio Reynolds (Tennessee)
• OL Glenn Bujnoch (Cincinnati)
• G-C Andrew Bain (Miami)
• OT Dylan Thiry (Northwestern)
• WR D.J. Hill (Alabama)
• OT Carnell Stewart (LSU)

The Star-Ledger:

Moss (genuinely) excited about Manningham - Mike Garafolo found out what Sinorice Moss thinks about the Jints drafting Manningham.

Giants sign Irvington’s Robinson - Mike Garafolo reported that the Giants signed defensive tackle Nate Robinson as an undrafted free agent.

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I got back from South Carolina around midnight.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get anything done down there.  I also wasn’t able to check out what happened in the NFL Draft, MLB, or NHL.  I apologize to all of you for that.

A few Mock Drafts had the Giants picking Kenny Phillips in the first round.  That turned out to be accurate.  From what I’ve read, the Giants are very happy with that pick.  I never heard of Phillips until he starting appearing in the Mock Drafts.  The Giants signed Terrell Thomas in the second round, and I never heard of him before.  Out of the players that the Giants signed, I’ve only seen Mario Manningham play and he’s the real deal.  Overall, the Giants stated that they are happy with who they selected.  I hope that turns out to be accurate.  It makes me feel better when the team says they are content with how it all played out.

Giants.com:

Something to prove - Thomas George pointed out that the Giants sixth round draft choice, Kentucky QB Andre’ Woodson will have time to develop.

Transcript: Post-Draft Coach Tom Coughlin

Transcript: Post-Draft GM Jerry Reese

Giants wrap up NFL Draft - Michael Eisen summarized all of the Giants selections.

Vanderbilt LB Jonathan Goff - Giants.com put together a Bio about Jonathan Goff.

QB Andre’ Woodson - Giants.com put together a Bio about Andre’ Woodson.

BYU LB Bryan Kehl - Giants.com put together a Bio about Bryan Kehl.

Michigan WR Mario Manningham Bio

Transcript: GM Jerry Reese - Michael Eisen had a Q&A Session with Reese regarding Manningham.

Giants select WR Mario Manningham - Michael Eisen reported that the Giants selected Michigan WR Mario Manningham in the third round.  Eisen captured the Reese’s thoughts of Manningham,

We did our homework on him. Yesterday you guys talked about (first-round choice) Kenny Phillips and why didn’t we bring him in. There really wasn’t a lot to bring him in for. We brought this young man in. Our coaches spent a lot of time with him. We interviewed him at the combine. We did our homework on him. He has tremendous value right now where we are picking. We think he will be okay.

He convinced me, he convinced our coaches – and it’s well documented – that he made a couple of mistakes. He is a young kid. He is a junior. So hopefully he learned from his mistakes and he will come in here and he will give us a big play threat on the outside. This guy has got the production you want. He has got a big strike on the outside. He gets big strikes on the outside. And that was attractive for us.

Talent-wise, I think the guy could have really gone in the first row,” Reese said. “But at this point at the bottom of the third row, we think this is a guy that has great value and he is talented. He is really talented. And again, we did our homework on him. We have a couple of different testing agencies, psychological testing and stuff that we did with him. We are satisfied that he will be okay. And obviously when he comes in, probably kind of like Ahmad (Bradshaw) last year, we will bring him in and say, ‘Look, this is what it is going to be and we expect you to do that.’ And hopefully he will do that.

Bradshaw also had some collegiate issues off the field and was told told he would be on a short leash after being drafted in the seventh round by the Giants. Bradshaw became an important contributor late in the season and in the playoffs.

If you are screwing up, we are not going to spend a lot of time on you. You are on a short leash, just like Ahmad last year – I don’t care if you are seventh round or third round (choice). If you come in here and do the wrong things, we are not going to tolerate that. We don’t think he will do that.

Terrell Thomas Bio

Kenny Phillips Bio

Giants select CB Terrell Thomas - Michael Eisen reported that the Giants selected USC CB Terrell Thomas in the second round.  Eisen found out what Ross thought of the pick, and he wrote up a Bio about Thomas.  Ross stated that,

We don’t draft like that, by need. I think that is when you get hurt, when you say, ‘We need this, we need to take a corner, we need to take this.’ How the board falls and how we have them stacked, that is how we take them. I wouldn’t classify them as need picks.

We are happy we got two good football players. We didn’t go in saying we have to take two defensive guys or two offensive guys. We went in and stuck with our board and took two football players we really like. We didn’t have a game plan in mind of what positions or what side of the ball. We just wanted to get good football players.

2008 Draft Blog - John Schmeelk covered the first round of the Draft.

Giants select safety Kenny Phillips - Michael Eisen reported that the Giants took University of Miami safety Kenny Phillips with the first round pick.  Eisen captured the thoughts of Reese and Coughlin about this regarding this pick, and he put together a Bio about Phillips.  Jerry Reese stated had this to say,

We got nice value and we got a need position as well. That’s what we like to do in the draft. We don’t want to reach for guys. We got what we wanted. We got need and value with this pick.

Tom Coughlin stated that,

We were pleased to have the opportunity to draft a player of Kenny Phillips’ ability when we did in the bottom of the first round. We had him ranked high. We had him as the best safety on the board. It is a need position for us. He is an excellent football player. He is a guy that will come down in the box and tackle and can play in coverage. He has played over wide receivers during his career. He has a career which gives you the balance and the versatility of a player of his ability with his interceptions, his tackles, etcetera. We are excited to have an opportunity to draft this player. There is great value in this pick and it is a need position, so we have been able to accomplish a bunch of things here with Kenny Phillips.

Transcript: Dir. of College Scouting Marc Ross - On Friday, Michael Eisen asked Marc Ross about the upcoming Draft.

Transcript: GM Jerry Reese - On Friday, Michael Eisen asked Jerry Reese about the upcoming Draft.

2008 Draft Preview

Talent Evaluator - Michael Eisen sits down with VP of Player Evaluation Chris Mara.

Newsday:

Giants take chance on Michigan receiver Manningham - Tom Rock expresses his concerns on Manningham.

Reese takes a gamble on Manningham - Bob Glauber is also concerned about Manningham.

Giants don’t do deal for Shockey

Still a Giant, Shockey is the talk of the draft

Giants loved No. 31 pick Phillips from beginning

NFL Draft - Newsday pointed out where the Giants and the Jets will pick in the Draft.

“Good chance” Shockey could be traded - On Saturday, Tom Rock wrote that Jeremy Shockey could be traded over the weekend.

New York Daily News:

Giants select talented but troubled WR Mario Manningham in third round

Deja Blue all over again

Giants get their man, draft Miami safety Kenny Phillips with 31st pick

Michael Strahan to Giants: Don’t trade Jeremy Shockey

Live Blog: Behind the scenes at the 2008 NFL Draft

Will Giants trade Jeremy Shockey to the Saints?

New York Post:

SUPER MARIO - Paul Schwartz believes that Manningham was a steal in the third round.  I have been waiting for someone to put this spin on it because that’s what I believe.  I’ve watched him for years at Michigan, and he is much better than a third round pick.  So off the field issues dropped him down two rounds.  The Giants are paying third round money for first round talent which is much better than drafting first round talent for first round money with off the field issues.

GRABBING BARGAINS IN THE LATER ROUNDS

LOCALS HAVE AVERAGE DRAFT - Steve Serby graded the Giants and the Jets, and he gave them each a B.

THE CHAMP’S PICKS

GIANT RISK

GIANTS AND JETS: DRAFT DAY TWO

A TRADE OFF - Paul Schwartz reported that the Giants didn’t trade Shockey and they drafted Phillips.

MEET THE NEW GIANTS

GIANTS PLAY IT SAFE - Paul Schwartz likes that the Giants drafted Kenny Phillips.

DRAFT SHOCK-ER - Paul Schwartz believed that a Shockey deal could be a huge factor of the Draft.

New York Times:

Giants See Potential and Take a Chance

At Round’s End, Giants Find What They Need

The Star-Ledger:

Irvington grad Nate Robinson headed to Giants - Mike Garafolo reported that the Giants signed Nate Robinson to a free agent contract.

Big Blue drafts insurance behind Manning

Giants hope gamble pays off once again

A few undrafted free agents - Mike Garafolo reported that Big Blue signed two undrafted free agents last night: Cincinnati OL Glenn “Digger” Bujnoch and Alabama DE Wallace Gilberry.

A QB and a DE in sixth round - Mike Garafolo reported that, “With picks No. 198 and 199, the Giants selected QB Andre’ Woodson and Southern Miss DE Robert Henderson.”

Another LB in the fifth round - Mike Garafolo reported, “In the fifth round, with the 165th overall pick, the Giants selected LB Jonathan Goff from Vanderbilt.”

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