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Giants sign LB O'Brien Schofield 2-year / 8 million


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From NJ.com

 

The Giants' first signing of free agency in 2014 wasn't an offensive lineman, tight end or running back. It was a linebacker.

 

The Giants agree to terms with linebacker O'Brien Schofield on a reported two-year, $8 million deal. Pro Football Talk first reported the deal.

 

Schofield, 26, spent last season with the Seattle Seahawks. He spent the previous three years with the Arizona Cardinals, where he was mostly a reserve. Schofields started 11 games in four NFL seasons.

 

The Giants plan to use him as a linebacker and passing-down defensive end. Schofield (6-foot-3, 242 pounds) has 11.5 career sacks.

 

Linebacker remains a position of need for the Giants even after the signing. The team is still believed to be interested in re-signing middle linebacker Jon Beason.

 

The Giants also re-signed Mark Herzlich and tendered a contract to Spencer Paysinger this offseason. Jacquian Williams is also still under contract.

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From ESPN:

 

Considering how little attention the New York Giants have paid to the linebacker position in recent years, it's a little surprising to see them sign O'Brien Schofield for two years and $8 million. Schofield was an outside linebacker in the Seahawks' 4-3 defensive front last year. And while, yes, he did play in the Super Bowl, a lot of the Seahawks' backups played in the Super Bowl because they were running away with the game by halftime.

 

Schofield But a closer look indicates that the Giants may view this as a more creative signing. Schofield has been known to line up from time to time as a pass-rusher, and when he was coming out of college he was thought of as a player who could help in that regard. He finished second in the Big Ten with 12 sacks for Wisconsin in 2009. But he tore an ACL during Senior Bowl practice in 2010 and fell to the fourth round, where the Arizona Cardinals picked him.

 

So Schofield projects, for the Giants, as a guy who can contribute as an outside linebacker and possibly as a situational pass-rusher, which is something for which they're always looking. Especially if Justin Tuck doesn't re-sign, Jason Pierre-Paul continues to struggle with injuries and Damontre Moore doesn't develop, the Giants will be thin at pass-rusher, and it's possible Schofield could factor into the rotation. That would explain the price tag, which seems high for a weakside linebacker.

 

I do not think the Schofield signing precludes the Giants from re-signing middle linebacker Jon Beason, who is checking out the market to see what he's worth and remains in contact with the Giants as he talks to other teams.

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I'll try to keep an open mind, but the injury and reserve status have me concerned.

 

Then again, a big part of the Giants' problems last year centered on the fact that they couldn't shake a block when they brought a 5 man rush.

 

But $4mm a year?.....man, if Beason signs elsewhere for around that amount, it's going to raise some question about Reese's sanity.

 

This has to mean Kiwi is gone, and maybe Rivers....don't know the details of their contracts.

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Yeah, seems like a lot of money. I guess we'd have to see the details of the contract though in terms of what's guaranteed. He had 8.5 sacks combined the two years prior in what I'm assuming was a limited role so at least he can get to the qb a little bit

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I'll hold off on judging the guy mainly because I don't know much about him, but pulling a back up from one of the better defenses in the league...I'll take a little confidence in that.

 

 

Is he black? if so, +2. :flex:

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So we signed a backup for 4 mill a year? :ThinkingScratchHead2-small:

 

My point above was that a backup on one of the league's best defenses could be a starter on another. If we're looking at him as a starter, than 4 mil isn't absurd. If we're looking at him as a backup/ST guy, then he shouldn't be paid any more than Herzlich just got.

 

So I think that tells us what their intent is for the guy. Further, I don't know if we have the details on how the deal is structured just yet. It could be incentive laden and they're reporting the maximum amount of the deal (which if I remember correctly, is what counts against the cap, whether the player achieves the incentives or not).

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and seahawk fans are huge irrational homers. they are the easiest fan base to troll if you're into that sort of thing :ph34r:

You could use that logic to say sea hawk fans would be saying he's just a product of their great system.

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Maybe they're hoping for an occasional successful LB blitz this season.

 

This x 100.

 

I lost track of how many times I watched the Giants offense struggle to pick up a blitzing linebacker......and in the same game, watch the Giants linebackers get completely stone-walled on the blitz. So fucking frustrating.

 

Jon Beason was the exception, and it paid huge dividends.

 

A linebacker can be fast as shit (see: J-Will), but if he can't shake a block, that speed is washed off the field.

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