BleedinBlue

My bad about biting the nuts off of sheep to castrate them. That was Grey Ruegamer, not Hedgecock. Both farmboys, but clearly different in their approach to farmwork.

Again....from Giants 101 MVN Addressing the Shockey Rumors By Michael Warren | April 7th, 2008 E-mail | Print | Share Well, it’s been a few weeks since the initial Shockey rumors came about over the internet, and like a pesky bug, they refuse to go away. I have tried to stay away from them, but simply for the fact that they have stood the test of time, I will indulge myself. For those of you who have not heard by now, professional wrestling commentator Jim Ross talked in passing on his WWE blog about an alleged source that claimed Shockey would be on the move by draft day. “My sources tell me that the New York Giants are going to trade outstanding TE Jeremy Shockey to Bush’s Saints, prior to the NFL draft. Shockey is an Oklahoma kid from Ada who told me last week he was looking forward to playing for the Saints. “ Now remember, this is a wrestling commentator we are talking about here. Though Ross is respected by his peers, I just do not see this holding much weight. Would Shockey really be that dumb as to tell this man that he’s looking forward to playing for the Saints? I think not. That being said, I don’t think “J.R.” just pulled this out of thin air, because it doesn’t look like he has any real motive to lie about something so out of his element. I’d attribute this to a misquote or simply a misunderstanding. As for the “source”, for all we know his friend might have told him that he heard on the news that there was a possibility that Shockey might be traded to the Saints. It’s kind of humorous how these rumors stick around. They appear one day out of something that’s usually misconstrued information and then continue to circulate as more and more people find out about it and embellish the story. That being said, I, myself, am just perpetuating the situation by keeping the story alive right now. Thus, I will conclude it here by assuring you to not read too much into this thing. The fact that the rumor is still around does not mean that Reese and co. are revisiting the idea, probably just that someone just found out about the initial report and referred to it as if it were a current one. I will gladly eat crow if the blog entitled “J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q” really did accurately get the scoop. As for the prospect of trading Shockey itself, I’m kind of neutral. No doubt Boss can get the job done, but he is definitively no Shockey. Jeremy Shockey is a type of player that doesn’t come around very often. He is a good blocker, a great receiver, and most importantly he has the desire, will, and heart to go the extra mile on every single down. He brings a type of intensity to the Giants offense that is generally unmatched by anyone else (perhaps outside of Jacobs). The knocks on him can be a couple of things including his loud-mouth antics and supposed character issues, his frequent injuries, and the most popular of late, the fact that the team flourished in his absence. No one can downplay what he brings to the table skill-wise. The question is simply ‘Is he worth keeping around?’. With the recent success of the Giants, Shockey seems to be somewhat irrelevant in the Giants offense. Moreover, it doesn’t look like the TE position, itself, is very relevant in the Giants offense. Maybe the Giants don’t need an outstanding tight end with the way the offense is set up. And in that respect, Boss is a fine TE to have. Right now he is a solid TE who will only improve with experience. He definitely needs to work on blocking, but I think that everything else will come with time. It’s never a bad problem to have two formidable players at the same position, and production-wise, it really couldn’t hurt to have both on board. That being said, if the right deal came along, one that would clearly set the Giants up for a significant increase in success for the future or fill a serious need, I would not be opposed to pulling the trigger. But there’s really no rush. If there’s no great offer right now, I say wait until there is one. Injuries could come about this year that force a team to make a deal for a TE, and with an impact player like Shockey able to be had, a good offer could be made. The one foreseeable problem is that Shockey could lose all value if he gets injured again. Unless a great offer comes on the table, the Giants should stick to their guns and work with the talent that they have. There’s no need to hurry.

This is from Giants 101 MVN. Nice story....and they even skip the part about biting the nuts off of sheep. Hard Hits and Hard Work Motivate Giants Fullback By ANNA KATHERINE CLEMMONS Published: April 8, 2008 WALLBURG, N.C. — Hours after dumping a cooler on Coach Tom Coughlin in the closing moments of the Giants’ Super Bowl victory, Madison Hedgecock hit the road. Not to the beach, a Vegas casino or Disneyland. Rather, he took his celebration to the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky. After that postgame bacchanal, Hedgecock spent the off-season working on his family’s farm here, near Winston-Salem in north-central North Carolina, before returning to the Giants’ facility in New Jersey for the team’s conditioning program. A 6-foot-3, 266-pound fullback, Hedgecock emerged early last season as a hard-hitting success story for the Giants. Having joined the team for the second game after being released by the Rams, he quickly displayed his knack for plowing over defenders and creating running lanes for Brandon Jacobs. “I just love to hit,” he said. “Man, do I love it.” He also loves to farm. Hedgecock estimated that members of his extended family owned 300 to 400 acres in this area, and he said his family’s roots on the farm where he works in the off-season could be traced back to the 1750s. “Our house was built by my great-grandfather in 1913, but that’s just the house,” he said of the two-story home where his parents live. “We’ve got family here that dates back to selling liquor to the troops during the Revolutionary War.” In the rolling green hills scattered around the Forsyth County line, Hedgecock’s immediate family works farms on both sides: the Hedgecock farm, which handles tobacco, strawberries and cattle; and the Smith farm, which has tobacco and cattle. Hedgecock, 26, grew up working primarily on the Hedgecock farm, which is now run mostly by his cousin Scott. Hedgecock’s older brother, Allen, is the main operator of the Smith farm. But when Hedgecock is home, he helps on both, whether it is planting tobacco seeds in the greenhouse or handcrafting new machinery. “I had my own tobacco plants starting when I was 13,” he said. Walking through the old barns, he spoke of scorching summer days when tobacco leaves singed his arms as he tossed 50-pound leaf bags into trucks alongside migrant workers. “People say football is hard work, but I just laugh sometimes,” he said. “Until they’ve worked on a tobacco farm, they don’t know what hard work is.” His workman’s attitude is a major reason he has been so successful on the field. “He’s got this mentality that just breathes fullback because he’s so intense,” said Giants linebacker Zak DeOssie, a close friend of Hedgecock’s. “Let’s just say I’m glad he’s on my team and not the others.” DeOssie recalled the time he and his roommate, safety Craig Dahl, were decorating a Christmas tree in their apartment. “We told Madison to get some ornaments,” DeOssie said. “He shows up with a John Deere ornament set. He sat on the couch, naming every year, make and model. It’s crazy how much he knows.” Hedgecock returns to the farm for long weekends when time allows. His Australian cattle dog, Susie, follows him everywhere and rides in the back of his truck. The routine is much different when he is with the Giants. His only vehicle, a gray 2001 Chevrolet pickup, sits in the driveway of his rented apartment in Harrison, N.J. The owner of the two-family building, 32-year-old Arlyn Polanco, is both his landlord and friend, he said. Occasionally, she cooks Dominican specialties for Hedgecock or helps with his laundry. “His mother away from home,” Dahl said. In return, Hedgecock sometimes gives Giants tickets to Polanco and her boyfriend. He has no plans to move out of Polanco’s house, even though he has signed a contract extension through 2012. “He’s always thinking about back home, his family and the farm,” Polanco said. While his teammates might have splurged after the Super Bowl, Hedgecock said he was still weighing his options for how to spend his money. “My great-grandpa has a 1950 Ford F2 that they kept parked in a shed for 20 years, so I’ve thought about having it redone,” he said. Hedgecock keeps his Super Bowl jersey and helmet in his childhood bedroom. His mother assembled a scrapbook of photographs, ticket stubs and news articles. It sits in the living room and is brought out for guests. “This is the greatest football team I’ve ever played on,” Hedgecock said. “And this may be the best year of my life.”

T.O. is definitely obnoxious and disruptive to his own team. But he is talented. If the man ever grew up and acted like a man instead of a spoiled self-centered child - he'd be a monster of a talent. Of course....if he did that in the first place, he'd still be in San Fran setting new records. Damn shame really.

I picked up on that as well. Some very insightful fans up there. The world shouldn't have been so shocked to see the Giants play them straight up after their previous meeting. Even Belichek said before the game that the Giants were the toughest team they faced all season. However, even he didn't think the Giants could shut down their offense the way they did and hold them to a mere 14 points - that was the kicker of the whole game. I'm sure that Belichek figured that even if they had their worse outing, they'd still score 21 - 24 points. Truth is - we stomped them out and they were OWNED that memorable January night!!!

Yeah....I hear ya. The Orioles (27th) are leading the AL East and tied with the Brewers (12th) for the best record in baseball. And to top it off, Boston (2nd) is dead last in the AL East. Early season rankings don't mean a hell of a lot. That's why we play the game!

The hitting started to show a little life last night. The Yanks have always been a "hot-weather, hot-hitting" team so I suspect by mid-season, they'll be smacking the ball well. I think the biggest surprise is Cano, who was on fire all Spring, but can barely make contact now that the games mean something. But if Kennedy gets his shit together and Pettite has a typical "Pettite year", they'll be in the thick of things by late summer.

What a great read. That fan does some serious breakdown of events Even though the article is technical and breaks down every detail....it's very readable and clear. I love the sarcasm in some of his lines like: "Hochstein is in fact joining a triple team with Koppen and Mankins on Hall of Fame hopeful Jay Alford" and "The silver lining on this play is that the triple team did a pretty good job of stopping the dangerous Jay Alford" The responses to his post was good as well: "How about our Pro Bowler Logan Mankins? 3 Sacks, 2 Pressures, 5 QB Knockdowns. It's amazing how much pressure the Giants got with 4 guys - Blitzed only 13 of 53 plays, and that included some screen plays. WOW!"

With Spags signed on for the next few years and having such a super effective 4-3, I can't think of one good reason the Giants would even toy with the idea of going to the 3-4. I still wouldn't be surprised if the Giants picked up a linebacker, but probably not in the first. I expect a safety, CB or lineman to be grabbed with our first pick.....it will all depend on who is left on the board at 31.

Here's an article from a sports writer that you will like. He is basically saying exactly what you are saying. He writes for MVN.com Why The Giants will not take Dan Connor By Sean O'Sullivan | April 6th, 2008 E-mail | Print | Share Just like last year myself and many other Giant fans were tired of seeing the Giants get a Penn state LB in what seemed like every mock draft. What is more painful to me is most of these so called experts analysis of the Giants selection saying that we lost 2 starting LB’s in the off-season which obviously isn’t the case. Us Giants fans know that Reggie Torbor was essentially a special teams player that provided depth at the LB position while with the Giants. Now when Mathias Kiwanuka gets hurt and Torbor fills in nicely he all of a sudden was a starter all along? I mean no disrespect to Reggie Torbor and I’m sure I speak for every Giants fan when I say I really respect the way he played down the stretch, but I just don’t know where people are getting this. I may be in the minority in this but I feel that LB isn’t a real need for the Giants. I felt the same way last year as well when everyone was predicting us to take a LB. What people don’t understand is that in the system that Spags’ runs having top LB’s isn’t necessary. He comes from the Jim Johnson system and the Eagles haven’t drafted a LB high or had a top LB in years. With our defense being based off of the same scheme I doubt you see the Giants drafting a LB high once again. Another reason I don’t feel LB is a big need is because the projected starters for this years Giants team could have very well been last years as well. Many Giants fans were eager to see Gerris Wilkinson and Kawika Mitchell battle it out in training camp to see who would start at WLB but Wilkinson got hurt and through the year Mitchell played well enough to not lose the job. Wilkinson will be back healthy this season and I am excited to see what he can do because he has shown flashes and last year Antonio Pierce publicly endorsed him as the starting WLB for the Giants. With all that said of all the LB’s the Giants could possibly take Dan Connor would be the worst fit and I’m very tired of seeing the pick predicted. The Giants defense for LB’s is based on being able to blitz and being athletic enough to cover. Dan Connor is more of a MLB and has been labeled that by many scouts but he could also play WLB in the NFL. Connor is not nearly as fast or athletic as Gerris Wilkinson and would not be an upgrade. Connor also struggles in coverage at times and is not a great blitzer which as I mentioned are exactly what the Giants need at LB. He doesn’t have fluid hips to turn and run in man coverage and also has minor character concerns which will hopefully keep the Giants away. He is a little overrated as a prospect because he is coming out of ”LB U”. Connor might end up being a good pro in the NFL, but he doesn’t belong in this system.

Well....when I wrote this initial post, we were 2-1, having taken two from the Jays. But since then, Tampa has schooled the Yanks and I'm beginning to wonder if the Yankees are ever going to start stinging the ball. The hitters are just plain sucking so far. But I have to constantly remind myself that its a long, long season. Teams who win about 6 out of 10 games are playoff bound teams and streaks - both winning and losing - are the biggest contributers to the season's final record. Still...I'd like to see a few Yanks come around and start swatting the ball with authority!

Well....we're off to a decent start....2-1. Toronto will be a tough team all year so I'm happy to take two out of three. Hughs and Joba look like they're shaping up. "Bobay" (Abrieu) looks like he'll start out hot this year instead of ice cold like last year. The Tampa series should be interesting kicking off tonight. Potential bean ball war and possibility of a fight breaking out. Both teams on edge and accusing the other of poor sportsmenship. Plus, we'll see if Kennedy has his shit together tonight. I feel good about this team, but Boston is obviously going to be tough again this year.

Isaiah is history! Toast! And it's about 5 years too late! Never in my life have I seen a single person bring down and utterly destroy an entire professional franchise the way he has. He needs to be run out of New York and never allowed to return....not even for a shopping trip or vacation. He needs to be banned from NYC forever!

great video....put shivers down my neck!

Exactly! They are only there for extreme emergencies....of which every team hopes doesn't happen to them, but in rare occassions it does. His cost is so minimal to the team that it's like the rest of us giving a kid a dollar. He's lucky to make that kind of money, but he does so because he could step up if he absolutely had to.

They've become such a classless team. Just imagine having T.O., Pacman, and Henry on the same team....hell, they might as well add Chad to the mix. Maybe they can also get Vick to back up Romo once he's out of prison.

Good rule I suppose. Does that mean they can be challenged or does it just mean the review booth can change it if a bad call is made? It's only a matter of time until laser beams are installed on the posts that light up a signal that the kick is good. I like. Adds a little more strategy to the game, but not a big difference Huhhh????? Makes no sense at all. How is it a "fumble" unless it's actually fumbled? And if it's fumbled, hasn't it always been a fumble? Good rule....too many bad calls on incidental face masks. Outcome of games shouldn't be at the discretion of zebras. They already have too much control over who wins the games. however, since the Giants penalties are way down this past season, I'm not that worried about it.

how do you figure? (edit) Never mind----I see that he's listed on our depth chart still...once again, my bad

Nope! Here's their roster: kffl - Giants Roster

Ahhhh....someone should inform kffl, which is usually the most accurate and uptodate nfl site on the web, because they are still listing him on the roster. My bad

I agree wholeheartedly Naz.....but we carry minimum of four, and sometimes five safeties during the season. Plus, Johnson plays the strong safety, while Butler plays the free, so they're not competing for the same position (although that could change if Spags thought it would work). Right now we have two solid SS in (1) Sammy Knight, and (2)Johnson who I believe is getting ready to have a breakout season, and only two FS's in (3) seldom used undrafted pickup Craig Dahl, and (4) Butler.....plus unproven youngster Geoff Pope who has been limited to the practice team, but was called up late in season for backup. We'll probably draft a safety early in the draft, so that gives us the 4 or 5 we need.

I think Lorenzen is a decent backup...expecially as a third stringer. I'd love to see how he'd perform if given a full time starting job in the NFL - but certainly not at the expense of losing Eli. I think he'd surprise a lot of naysayers. Also, I personally like Butler and think he's done a fairly decent job when called upon. He makes his mistakes, but everyone on the team has made mistakes as well. Besides, he's cheap, he's steady, he's made some big plays at times, and he knows the Giants system. And he's been playing through a pulled hammy most of the season. Of course, if we pick up a stud safety or two, he's probably going bye bye. Still, I think some of the negative press he gets on this board go a little overboard.

Very true....they've always tried to build a team in one year rather than grooming good athletes into a system that fits their coach. The ownership sucks big time. This year they were awarded a 3rd round pick (for losing Dockery) and two extra 7th round picks. It's the most picks they've had in years. In a way....it would almost seem appropriate for the NFL to award a pick for losing a star player to death (Sean Taylor), but there is no compensation for that. Regardless....as long as they beat the Cowboys and Eagles, that's a good thing.

Actually, this is the first year that the thrid round isn't included. They changed the format so that they could drag out two days of television prime time. They also shortened the time between draft picks in the first round....also probably to keep ESPN happy.

The losses we had this year won't be compensated until next year. This years compensotory picks are based on the losses of CB Frank Walker, K Jay Feely, and TE Visanthe Shiancoe. But since we signed LB Kawiki Mitchell (an offset for losing Frank Walker) and QB Anthony Wright (an offset for losing Feely), we were to be compensated for the loss of Shianco only. And Shiancoe was our 3rd round pick who played all 16 games for the Vikings (and was their starter) after getting a 5-year $18.2 million contract .......... it just stood to reason that we should get better than a 6th for the loss of Shiancoe. Oh well.....maybe we'll pick up a gem of a sleeper with the extra 6th round pick. At least he should come a lot cheaper than a 3rd or 4th.