Die Hard Giants Fan

NFL.com is full of lists right now.  Everyday, they have a new list for something.  This one is definitely worth pointing out because it’s one of my favorites.  So they made a list of the ‘Top 10 Linebacking Corps in NFL History’.  Here it goes…

1. Jim Mora’s Saints - “Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson and Pat Swilling combined for 13 trips to the Pro Bowl and helped the Saints earn respectability.”
2. 1970s Steelers - “Hall of Famers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert were integral parts of Pittsburgh’s famed “Steel Curtain,” the catalyst for four Super Bowl wins.”
3. Bill Parcells’ Giants - “Lawrence Taylor grabbed the headlines, but Harry Carson, Gary Reasons and Carl Banks were key contributors on two Super Bowl-winning teams.”
4. Hank Stram’s Chiefs - “Hall of Famers Bobby Bell and Willie Lanier, along with the unheralded Jim Lynch, dismantled the favored Vikings in Super Bowl IV.”
5. 1985 Chicago Bears - “Otis Wilson, Mike Singletary and Wilbur Marshall ran Buddy Ryan’s 46 defense to perfection as the Bears dominated the NFL.”
6. Vince Lombardi’s Packers - “Led by Ray Nitschke, and also featuring Dave Robinson and Lee Roy Caffey, this group was key to one of the NFL’s greatest dynasties.”
7. Steelers of the mid-1990s - “The foursome of Levon Kirkland, Kevin Greene, Greg Lloyd and Chad Brown weren’t the “Steel Curtain” revisited, but weren’t too far off.”
8. 1980s Raiders - “Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks, as well as Matt Millen and Rod Martin, were major contributors on the last Raiders team to win a Super Bowl.”
9. Orange Crush - “Randy Gradishar, Bob Swenson, Joe Rizzo and Tom Jackson teamed up to lead the Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance.”
10. 2000 Ravens - “Led by Ray Lewis, and complemented by Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper, the Ravens defense dominated opponents en route to a title.”

I love great defenses so this is a list for me.  Some of the franchises above are defensive powerhouses historically like the Bears, the Giants, and the Steelers.  It is great to see that the original Big Blue Wrecking Crew got themselves up to No. 3 on the all-time list.  Those were the days.  In the same decade, the Jets had Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko who anchored the New York Sack Exchange which were defensive lineman not linebackers.  I would love to see the Jints put out a linebacking corps like that right now.

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No news has come out of The Swamp the last few days.  Below, you can check out the only article about the Giants today.  The 2008 NFL Schedule will be released tomorrow.  Since there wasn’t anything to write about, I checked up on the NFC East and former Giants.

Rumors about the Cowbows making a trade with the Titans for Adam “Pacman” Jones are back on, according to Adam Schefter of the NFL Network.  The two teams spent all day Saturday going back and forth on proposals.  One of Schefter’s sources believes that the trade could be done this week.  In the past, Dallas has been offering one of their sixth-round picks, but Tennessee held out for a fourth-round pick or better.  Adam also wrote that “Dallas wanted to attach conditions to the trade in which it could receive a draft pick back from Tennessee if Jones got into more trouble in his new city.”  This clause doesn’t make any sense to me.  If Dallas is stupid enough to sign a troubled player then they should suffer the consequenses of the player getting into trouble in his new city, not benefit from it.  Pacman has to apply to be reinstated in the NFL before this can happen.  The two teams are trying to get Pacman reinstated as fast as possible so they can get this deal done on Tuesday.

Down in Miami, Tim Graham of Inside the Dolphins pointed out that former Giants head coach Bill Parcells was unhappy with previous efforts of the former strength and conditioning coaches.  Last season, 16 Dolphins were on IR so he quickly fired them.  So The Tuna brought in two new strength and conditioning coaches who have The Fish working out really hard in the weight room.  Graham also found out that, “Several Dolphins have commented that this is the most strenuous weight conditioning program they’ve encountered in the NFL or college. One player, who said he always considered himself a workout fiend, admitted he had no right to think that way until now.”  While we are on the Dolphins, it is very likely that they are in contract negotiations with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, and if the two sides can agree on a deal then Long will be the first pick in the draft.

Out in Cleveland, former Giants wide receiver Joe Jurevicius contracted a staph infection following knee surgery, becoming the sixth Cleveland player in four years to suffer from staph.  According to the AP, “Jurevicius is recovering well and is expected to participate in team activities in May and minicamp in June.”

 Fans Take - Another Giants fan offers their thoughts on the 2007 season.

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There are a whole bunch of rumors out there.  The Giants and the Jaguars are interested in QB Cleo Lemon who started in Miami in 2007 after Trent Green got injured.  Jerry Reese is in Tennessee to receive an award so he won’t be making any deals today.  Not only are the Eagles interested in Asante Samuel, but Samuel is expected to walk out of Philly with a big fat contract.  Bill Parcells is wheeling and dealing with everybody today.  There are rumor on top of what they have done already, but The Tuna has been very busy.  Parcells is also looking to add former Cowboys to the Dolphins like Julius Jones and Jason Fabini.  The Saints want Shockey.  They called up Jerry Reese to make a trade, and he declined.

I am very upset about losing 2 out of 4 free agents half way through the first day of Free Agency.  Mitchell signed with the Bills and Torbor agreed to terms with the Dolphins.  Hopefully JR will impress us like he did last season.

Newsday:

Raiders eyeing Giants safety Gibril Wilson - Bob Glauber hinted that the Raiders may offer Gibril Wilson a contract worth between $6 million and $6.5 million per year.  The Giants won’t offer anything close to that.

New York Post:

GIANTS PREPARE FOR WILSON’S DEPARTURE

The Star-Ledger:

Needell: Don’t freak - Paul Needell tells us why we Jints fans shouldn’t freak out about losing these players in Free Agency.

Safety updates - Mike Garafolo pointed out that Big Blue is interested Sammy Knight and Eugene Wilson, and Mike asks us which one we like better.

Bye, bye LBs - Mike Garafolo reported that Kawika Mitchell signed a 5-year deal with the Buffalo Bills for an estimated $17.5 million and a $3.5 million signing bonus.  Also, Reggie Torbor agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins.

A thought about Shockey - Rumors are circling about Jeremy Shockey being traded to the Saints, but Mike Garafolo doesn’t think it will happen.

NY Giants won’t spend freely in free agency

All’s quiet - Last night, Mike Garafolo said everything was quiet on the eve of free agency.

Needell: Another lesson…. - Paul Needell reported that the Cowboys resigned Flozell Adams.  Adams can continue to commit the false start penalties.

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Hopefully you guys are keeping up with all of this Free Agent stuff around the NFL.  Teams are dumping players to get ready for Free Agency which begins at midnight as well as the Draft which is in April.  We aren’t going to cover every team, but there is some intersting things taking place.  I will let you know about the NFC East to an extent, and I will let you know about former Giants.  First, the Eagles supposedly cut Jevon ‘The Freak’ Kearse because he suffered a knee injury in 2006 and didn’t get many minutes in 2007.  Maybe Brian Dawkins will retire soon too…  We’ve heard the rumors that the Dolphins are interested in Reggie Torbor.  Bill Parcells is steering that ship, and may be able to sign Torbor as soon as tomorrow.  The Tuna always has something funny to say, and he was quoted as saying that he doesn’t want any “thugs and hoodlums” on his team.  Can he say that?

 Free Agency 101 - Giants.com provided a glossary of NFL Free Agency terms.

Newsday:

Giants GM Reese unlikely to chase free agents - Bob Glauber reminded us that the only Free Agent that the Giants signed last year was Kawika Mitchell, and it seems like Jerry Reese is only interested in DeAngelo Hall this year.  Glauber said that Hall is asking for close to $10 million so Reese might not go after him.  Bob wrote this about the players on the Giants that are about to become unrestricted free agents,

The Giants have only three unrestricted free agents, safety Gibril Wilson and linebackers Reggie Torbor and Mitchell, and they had hoped to keep them from reaching the open market. A person familiar with the Giants’ situation said it was virtually inconceivable that they would retain Wilson, and that it was “doubtful” they would keep Torbor and Mitchell.

That can come back and bite us in the rear if  we lose one safety and two linebackers.  If Mathias Kiwanuka has a healthy return then that will help fill one of these slots.  It seems like Reese is going to fill the holes with rookies if he doesn’t sign Hall.  The defense is what made that amazing run possible.  I hope that there is a smooth transition heading into ‘08.

Bob Glauber’s top 5 FAs - This is the top 5 Free Agents on Bob Glauber’s list, and he included a brief description about each of them in his article.

• Asante Samuel
• Randy Moss
• Alan Faneca
• Lance Briggs
• Justin Smith

New York Daily News:

Tom Coughlin to get 4 years, $21M - Gary Myers noted that this is the only thing left in Coach Coughlin’s contract, “There are only minor details and contract language to be completed, and the deal could be announced as early as next week.”

Jerry Reese’s way fine by John Mara - Ralph Vacchiano stated that John Mara is very confident in the way that Reese is assembling the roster.  At the bottom of the article, Vacchiano covered three other points as well:

Safety James Butler, a restricted free agent, got a one-year, second-round qualifying offer of $1.47 million from the Giants, who can match any offer he receives, and would get a second-round pick from any team that signs him.

QB Jared Lorenzen got a one-year, $927,000 tender. The Giants can match any offer he gets, but would get no compensation.

DE Adrian Awasom, who was arrested in Phoenix on “suspicion of extreme DUI” a few days before the Super Bowl, was not tendered and will become an unrestricted free agent tomorrow.

New York Post:

BIG BLUE MAY TURN ‘CORNER’ - Paul Schwartz reported that the Giants may or may not go after Hall because of Hall’s baggage.

New York Times:

Tyree Talks the Talk, and Also Wears the Helmet - Nate Schweber described when ”David Tyree spoke to students from Montclair High at the Yogi Berra Museum Wednesday night.”

The Star-Ledger:

Agent: Gibril to test market

Ward on his way out? - Mike Garafolo reported that it is unlikely that the Giants will resign Derrick Ward.  I’m very upset about that.  Ward was solid, and he was the best receiving RB on the Giants this year.  He added to the depth of the position.

NY Giants in search of a safety net

Coughlin to get $21M contract extension, NY Daily News reports

Giants not confident on Gibril - Mike Garafolo lets us know where the Giants and Gibril Wilson stand right now.  Garafolo also stated that Wilson is looking for $5 million per year, and how the Giants might go about replacing Gibril if he ends up leaving.  In my opinion, the Giants still have 22 hours to resign Wilson.  I believe that Wilson knows deep down that he isn’t worth $5 million per year.  Even if the Giants let him go, would the Jags or the Eagles pay that much?  So maybe he will realize that and stay with Big Blue for a little less.

Butler, Lorenzen tendered

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All of this suspense is annoying.  I want Big Blue to become Super Bowl Champs this Sunday.  Enough already, right?  All of the players are everywhere right now.  It’s their time to shine.  Tynes was on Letterman last night.  All of the players are going to be interviewed over and over.  I don’t like it.  I just want them to play…and win. 

 How the Giants got to Super Bowl XLII - Mike Eisen takes a step back and looks at the year that was 2007.

XLII facts about Super Bowl XLII - That’s a lot of fact.  It would’ve been a lot easier for NFL.com to assemble this list if it were Super Bowl I.  This is definitely worthy of reading.  It gets better as you go down the list.

Parcells’ 1990 coaching staff was ultimate ‘Super group’ - Vic Carruci wrote a great article about one of the best coaching staffs in NFL history.  The coaching staff of the Giants, in 1990, completely out coached the Buffalo Bills.  Here’s a look at the staff: Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Romeo Crennel, Ron Erhardt, Al Groh, and Charlie Weis.  All of them have become head coaches of NFL or major NCAA programs.  You know their names and track records.  Two of the coaches from that staff (Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick) are facing each other head-to-head in the Super Bowl.  I really enjoy following coaching trees.  Sometimes coordinators and/or assistant coaches get completely overshadowed by the Head Coach.  You can see what they’re all about once they become a head coach elsewhere.

Newsday:

Belichick still breaks out film of 1990s Giants

Belichick refuses to discuss Brady’s injury - What else is new?

McConkey picking Giants

Spagnuolo’s a keeper, and Giants know it

The simulated Super Bowl - Jim Baumbach found a website called www.whatifsports.com where he simulated the Super Bowl, and provided the results in his article.  I didn’t check out the website yet, but it sounds like a great idea.  If it’s relatively easy to use then it should be a cool site.

Giants fan went long, then short for team’s winning touch

Falcons’ job no longer a distraction for Spagnuolo - The Falcons filled their head coach vacancy, and the Redskins have their primary candidate.  So, since all of the open spots in the league were filled it seems like Spags will have no choice but to remain with the Giants in 2008.  Just think about how much cheddar he can earn if he figures out how to keep the Pats from putting up 38 points this go around.

Lawrence Tynes appears on Letterman’s show - That was last night if you missed it.

Tomorrow’s Super Bowl hype today

Umenyiora digs up dirt on Patriots’ Light - According to Tom Rock, Osi Umenyiora is the newest NFL player to publicly call out a Patriots player for being dirty.  For years in anonymous surveys taken by NFL players, Rodney Harrison was the dirtiest player in the NFL.  Then Harrison failed a drug test which makes even dirtier I guess.  Last year, the Chargers called called out Richard Seymour for foulplay.  Now, the Giants are calling out the Matt Light.  If anything is really going on then it is an issue that the NFL needs to resolve, not Osi talking to the media.  I’ve watched tons of Patriot games over the years and haven’t seen this stuff on tv.  But, it’s possible that the camera isn’t always on it.

New York Daily News:

Antonio Pierce calls on Super friends

Bill Belichick refuses to talk about Tom Brady’s injury

Giants beating Patriots in Super Bowl would not be so upsetting - Why would it be upsetting?  This is New York.  It would be ‘nothing but positives’ as T.C. would say.

Meet Wellington Mara’s widow, Ann, who has seen it all - If you like the history of the NFL and the history if the New York Football Giants then this is an enjoyable read.

Jerry Reese’s pieces look Super

Antonio Pierce hopes to keep rallying Big Blue as road warriors

Osi Umenyiora sees heavy in Matt Light

Tiki Barber may rush to Super Bowl

Tony Romo punts Jessica Simpson - HaHaHaHa…LMAO.  He lost the game and the girl.  He went through all of that to date a chick for like two months?

New York Post:

STATE OF SHOCK

BAVARO KNEW COUGHLIN WAS BY THE BOOK

TYNES KICKS IT WITH LETTERMAN

ELI FEVER AT MSG - He’s turning into a superstar.

WITHOUT THE HITCH

OSI IS EAGER TO SEE LIGHT AGAIN

HOBBLED OR NOT, GET YOURSELF TO GLENDALE, JEREMY

CORRECT CHANGE

MARK OF RESPECT

ARCHIE: S.I. JINX WON’T BOTHER ELI

TIKI TURNABOUT

BRADY ACHING TO TEST HIS SORE ANKLE - I hope the Giants exploit his sore ankle.

New York Times:

Seven Years Later, Giants’ Super Bowl Loss Still Stings

The Star-Ledger:

Belichick won’t discuss Brady’s ankle

Thursday injury report

What’s the state of Shockey?

Letterman time for Tynes

Super Bowl glory fleeting for Dixon

Spagnuolo staying, for now

Mets’ Wright a Giants backer

Giants must avoid layoff trap

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Back-to-back, the Divisional Playoff game between the Giants and the Cowboys and the NFC Championship game between the Giants and the Packers were two of the greatest games I have ever seen.  Both of them went right down to the final play.  We’ll see how our boys in blue do in the Super Bowl.  I believe it will be a close game, we just need a few things to bounce our way so we can come out of the desert victorious.  I prefer those 41-0 games so there is no chance of losing.  Save the excitement of the nail bitters for years when the Giants are not in the Super Bowl.

Also, the line dropped another 1/2 of a point today.  So, it opened with the Giants being 14 point underdogs.  It was 12 1/2 yesterday.  Now it’s 12.  It’s still too big so expect that gap to keep shrinking. 

 Giants Stats Review - Based on the history of the NFL, Michael Eisen lets us know that the Giants have a pretty good shot at winning the Super Bowl.

Newsday:

Webster has made biggest turnaround for Giants - That’s for sure.  Arthur Staple put together a great article about the turnaround of Corey Webster.

Brady’s foot injury not serious - Tom Rock stated that “The cast-like boot on his right foot was there to help what has been reported as a minor high ankle sprain. Brady will have two weeks of rest before playing again in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 3.
“  This is the same injury that T.O. was recovering from at the end of the season.  Nobody know for sure if the injury reported is accurate.

Boston must be stopped

Ex-Giant Anderson sees Giants upsetting Patriots - I hope Otis is good at making predictions.

Giants-Packers title game ratings winner for Fox - Neil Best stated:

Eli Manning got the last laugh on that Green Bay TV station manager who last week tried to distract him by pre-empting “Seinfeld,” his favorite show, before the NFC title game.

Last night, Fox announced that the Giants’ upset of the Packers averaged 53.9 million viewers - making it the most-watched non-Super Bowl TV show of any kind since 1998, when 76.3 million watched the finale of … yup, “Seinfeld.”

Good for Eli.  It’s funny how things come full circle.  And it’s good news for the Giants because they have been involved in some games that had everybody wanted to watch.  In Week 17, when the Giants had the opportunity to upset the 15-0 Patriots, the game set a record for being the most watched television show besides the Superbowl.  In the NFC Championship Game, it was the most watched Conference Championship game in 13 years.  And in the Superbowl, when the Giants have another shot at upsetting the 18-0 Patriots, it has to be one of the most viewed Superbowls in NFL history.

Plumber’s game-day hardhat reveals his Giants soft spot

For this fan, cheering Giants to a win is no game

New York Daily News:

Giants expect Tom Brady will be Super

Eli Manning turns critics into converts

Five things the Giants learned about the Patriots in Week 17’s 38-35 loss - Ralph Vacchiano wrote 5 things that the Giants learned from playing the Patriots.

Tiki Barber ‘ecstatic’ for Giants - Tiki continues to lie, but I don’t care anymore about Tiki.  After all he said publically about the team, I was happy he retired.

Tom Brady will play in Super Bowl

Jinxed! S.I. puts Eli Manning on cover

While Giants study film from Week 17 loss, so can Bill Belichick - Hank Gola made a bunch of great points about how Belichick could prepare for the Super Bowl.

Giant backup LB and punt snapper Zak DeOssie has Super fan: his dad

Ex-Giant calls timeout on 9/11 walk - The New York Daily News stated that George Martin is taking a detour from his Cross Country charity walk to catch the Giants play in the Super Bowl.

Jim Fassel could coach Redskins

Patriots-Giants Super Bowl drives Jets fans nuts - I don’t know why.  This is news to me.  I’ve never heard any Jets fan dislike Giants fans and vice versa.  I root for the Jets all the time.  Even when they were 4-12.  If you are a Jets fan that hates Giants fans, or a Giants fan that hates Jets fans then please comment about the actual reason.  I know it exists between the Mets and the Yankees.  But I never heard of any hatred between the Jets and the Giants.

The New York Post:

THEY WON’T STAND PAT

GIANTS’ TV RATINGS SOAR

ERNIE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN ELI

ELI WON’T RUN FOR COVER

ARCHIE ‘NEVER ENVISIONED’ BACK-TO-BACK SUPER SONS - What parent would?  What are the odds of that happening?

GIANTS FACE AN ‘OFFICIAL’ REMATCH IN SUPE AS WELL - Paul Schwartz points out that the officiating crew that worked in Week 17 will also work the Super Bowl.  Many Giants players and fans complained about this crew led by Mike Carey.

REESE’S PIECES ARE A-OK

X MARKS THEIR SHOT - Steve Serby wrote up 10 reasons why the Jints can beat the Patriots.

HIS TYNES TO SHINE

New York Times:

Victorious Giants Return Home and It’s Time to Party On - Since the G-MEN came home, they have been partying in the Big Apple.  Tomorrow, they practice for the first time.

The Star-Ledger:

Are the Giants America’s Team? - Even though the Cowboys are labeled America’s Team, I don’t buy into that.  No team that wasn’t there since inception should not be labled that.

Jet LB’s hit unleashed Patriots’ Brady on the NFL

Around the Web: Following the Giants on Twitter and Facebook

A Spags reprieve

Nothing routine about Giants’ routine

Parcells, other Giants’ 1990 alums will be interested viewers of the big game

 Giants Super Bowl run could be a boon for new stadium

Around the Web: Tiki has no regrets - These Tiki articles need to stop.  Enough already.  We are where we are because he isn’t on the ‘team’.

Seubert likely to play - According to Mike Garafolo, Rich Seubert suffered a “small tear in one of his knee ligaments”.  The good news is that he should be ready for the big game.

Pick your favorite Giants Super Bowl moment

Sports Illustrated’s Dr. Z. picks … Giants!

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Even though I’m a Die Hard Giants Fan and Big Blue is playing for their Playoff lives, the biggest story of the day is that Kevin Everett will be walking on the field either in the pregame or during halftime.  We don’t want to downplay the outstanding medical staff of the Bills as well as the willpower of Everett for fighting through this situation and getting him to walk again.

 CB Dockery, DT Wright and WR Tyree do not make trip - Michael Eisen pointed out that a few Giants didn’t make the trip to Buffalo.  Big Blue is already banged up on defense, and now they will play without Kevin Dockery who has been filling in for Aaron Ross in the secondary.  Manny Wright has not started recently, but Tom Coughlin has used him from time to time the last few weeks.  Last, Tyree’s mother passed away this week.  God bless her soul.  So David Tyree will not be able to make it to the game today.  This may impact the field position on some kick returns, but it is what it is.

Newsday:

Attaboy, Tom! You’re the best! - Anthony Rieber made a list about who’s the best manager in New York.  Obviously, Isiah Thomas was at the bottom, and somehow Tom Coughlin topped their list.

Bills-Giants matchup is test for Coughlin - Arthur Staple got this out of Tom Coughlin regarding today’s game, “We know that anything goes here,” he said. “Anything goes.”

Just like that, Giants aren’t lock for playoffs

New York Daily News:

With Patriots on deck, Giants looking for one win at Bills to secure playoffs - If you haven’t been paying attention all week then this is the situation.

Mike Tannenbaum, Bill Parcells now on opposite sides - Just in case you want to read more about Bill Parcells.

Inside the talks that made Bill Parcells choose the Dolphins and not Falcons

Brandon Jacobs looking to take Tiki Barber’s torch - Hank Gola pointed out what Tiki Barber did when the pressure was on:

In the last two seasons, when the Giants needed to win their final games to make the playoffs, Barber came up with two of his greatest games - in last year’s season finale in Washington, where he had 258 total yards and the year before in Oakland, where he had 263.

Hank believes that Brandon Jacobs needs a game like that for Big Blue to clinch a Wild Card spot.

New York Post:

JINTS FEELIN’ CLINCH PINCH

SERBY’S Q&A WITH… -Steve Serby had his Sunday Q&A Session with Osi Umenyiora.  The first question is  hysterical so check it out.  I don’t know if I buy that.

ELI’S GOING TO NEED SOME HELP

BIG BLUE TASK: GET MORE TURNOVERS - This is the goal of every team in the sport every week.

New York Times:

Teams Looking for Game Plan to Combat Cold - Bring me some old-school smashmouth football and a G-MEN victory.

The Star-Ledger:

The game plan, my friends, is blowin’ in the wind… - According to Mike Garafolo, the wind is already blowing from 40 - 60 mph in Buffalo.  Note to T.C.: have Eli hand the ball off to Jacobs, Droughns, and Bradshaw as many times as you threw the ball against Washington and you’ll be fine.

On-field collision has forever changed the lives of Everett and Hixon

Bills present a unique challenge

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