BleedinBlue

Zach Thomas of the Miami Dolphins. New England offered him a contract, but he chose Dallas so that means we'll face him twice (at least) this coming season.

NFL Network says that he got a 1 year, 2 million dollar deal with another million in incentives. That's a friggin steal for a 7-time pro-bowler. The worst of it is, is that the Cowboys have two 1st round draft picks this year (no.s 22 and 28 overall), putting them in a great position to steal Hall as well, and still have a first round draft pick ahead of the Giants. Cowboys suck! Luckily for us, they'll choke when it comes playoff time and the games matter.

Okay, I know that we cut Ryan Kuehl who has been our standard bearer for long snapper, but hasn't Zak DeOssie taken over those duties this past year? There is no way our no. 1 need is a long snapper. The NFL network says we need (in this order), LS, LB, T, WR No mention of CB or safeties. Is the network that far off base...or is it me?

Ahhhh.....I was wondering why you came back with "he was drafted in 2004" I went back and read my original line, which said: "He's young and in only his second year in professional football, he led the entire NFL in tackles". It is one of those cases where lack of good sentance construction and punctuation leads to the ole English 101 problem of "ambiguous reference", but I digress. It would have been better stated by me if I had written it this way: "He's young. And in only his second year in professional football, he led ......... or better yet, "He's young...only 26 years old...and in only his second year in the NFL (at age 24), he led the entire league in tackles". My bad!

In a rare interview with Reese on NFL.com, Reese admitted that last season, they were willing to let Strahan retire before renegotiating his contract. He also said that it's entirely different this coming season and they will be willing to work out a deal with Strahan to get him back for another year. I think Strahan's influence on the younger guys on the team makes him worth a lot. His teammates love him and go the extra distance in effort because of him. I say, "sign him" and get him back here for at least another year. Gives the team more options to target during offseason and keeps the kids motivated. Good news!

Yup....same year that Eli was drafted and the first linebacker taken in a draft filled with great linebacker prospects. Hell...he was taken ahead of linebacker Karlos Danby, who has gotten less fanfare than Vilma, but still got tagged as a franchise player by Arizona. I wouldn't underestimate Vilma. He will likely retire in 10 years with a half dozen pro-bowls to his name.

I'm not sure I'd want to see him in our division. He's young and in only his second year in professional football, he led the entire NFL in tackles. He's a stud linebacker. I don't think he'd fit into the Giants' defensive schemes so well, but I do know that I don't want the Giants to face him twice a year because he's in our devision.

It's one design that's being considered. Here's a little bit on it http://www.nypost.com/seven/02122008/news/..._blue_97209.htm Some basic information on superbowl rings from the New York Times: WHAT: The most coveted piece of jewelry at this time of year does not come from the Joan Rivers collection of home-shopping trinkets. No, it's the Super Bowl ring, symbolic of victory in the National Football League's annual overhyped, usually soporific championship game (and no, the ring is not available on QVC). Some players wear them. Some store them. Some have even sold them. Every player and coach lusts for one, despite its habitual lack of subtlety or modesty. These are very, very big gold and diamond rings. WHO GETS THEM?: Every winning player and coach. The N.F.L. pays for up to 90 rings, and then it's left to the team to buy more than that, or to add extra diamonds and other modifications that surpass the league's $4,000-a-ring outlay. "Jerry Jones said it cost the Cowboys $8,000 last year," said Jim Steeg, the league's director of special events, referring to the Cowboys' owner. SIZING IT UP:This is jewelry for big, beefy men! Men with thick, often gnarled fingers! Men who fling and maul other men every Sunday for a living! The average ring size is a 13, according to Jostens, a ring-making company; that is two sizes above the average man's ring size. But there are men AND THERE ARE MEN. For his Super Bowl XX ring in 1986, William (The Refrigerator) Perry, the enormous former Chicago Bears defensive tackle, broke the mold at a 23, a ring so large that a half-dollar coin can pass through it. WHO MAKES THEM?: Ring makers like Balfour and Jostens, which have made 19 of the first 27. There are general design guidelines, but teams add their own touches to personalize the ring, including bromides like "Harmony, Courage and Valor" (Green Bay Packers, Super Bowl I), "Winning Edge" (Miami Dolphins, Super Bowl VII) and "Team of the '80's," (San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XXIV). JUST THE BASICS: The N.F.L. approves of a ring with diamonds weighing 1.2 carats at a certain clarity, but each team can vary the points and clarity to its desire. Generally, the rings have the Super Bowl and N.F.L. logotypes; the words "World Champion"; a depiction of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which goes to the Super Bowl victor, and the player's name and number and the team name.

My 2 cents (probably worth less than that, but...) I love Diehl. He's done virtually everything asked of him since he became a Giant. However, if we can upgrade the left side and use Diehl elsewhere on the line....that's a big improvement. As far as Whimper goes....he's still there and it's a nice option to rotate the guys on the line to keep them fresh and it gives time for Whimper to continue to grow into a starter. I think Coughlin's style of coaching would eliminate a lot of Adam's false starts and it wouldn't be a problem.

sounds like you are going through a little bit of what we went through the night it happened. I really couldn't believe what I was seeing...my hands were actually shaking and I just kept babblin, "I can't f.... believe it....I can't f.....believe it". It took a week for the reality of it all to settle in. I've still got a little buzz left over from it, but I can never relive the pure emotion that wracked me when I watched it live. I think Plaxico breaking down in tears after the game was the straw that broke the camels back for me and tears just started rolling down my cheeks like a flood. Anyway....glad you finally got to watch the whole thing.

I had my free agents part done, but then the Arizona Cardinals slapped a "franchise tag" on Karlos Danby last weekend making all my work for naught (on him anyway). He would've been a nice fit for the Giants linebacking corps. The Giants could still make a play for him, but they'd have to make an offer that Arizona has a chance to match, or then forfeit 2 first round draft picks should they sign him, so I don't see that happening. I also see that two others on my "list of 3" could likely be resigned by the deadline. So anyway....it's frustrating to get all the homework done only to have it "null and void" when they either sign or get franchised. I may end up having to do it all over again on the day it's due the way things are happening around the league. Regardless....I'll have mine done by the 26th. Question: I've put my work down on WORD. Is there any particular form you want this to be given to you or will you start separate threads for each position in which we can paste our work?

I think they have always had the talent....it's just that they went through a period where they didn't believe in their coaches and questioned Eli....finally questioning themselves. This past season saw them first believe in their coaches...then believe in Eli....and finally believing in themselves. I have to believe it will carry over into next season. It's unbelievable what a team can do once they really start believing in themselves and their coaches and teammates.

Glad to hear you're back. I've been gone all day or I would've responded sooner....sorry. I've wondered quite a few times whether you got to watch the game or not. The last nine minutes were certainly exciting, but I can 100% understand your feeling of being screwed by missing the rest of the game. It was one of the (if not "THE") most memorable emotional sports memory I have....one of those moments where you don't know whether to cry or jump up and down and scream (I chose crying like a little girly man), and it took several days for the reality of it all to settle in and finally believe it. Every time I woke up for a week that was my first thought...wondering if it had all been just a dream. So far this year has been great for me as a sports fan as I am also a huge fan of Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch who overcame unbelievable odds yesterday to win the Daytona 500 1st and 2nd...the superbowl of racing. Then my Orangemen knocked off Georgetown over the weekend so I'm flying high has a sports fan for the first time in a long time....2008 is certainly a year to remember. Now, if only the Yankees win the division and the World Series....it'll be the best year of my life. ANyway....glad you're back and I feel for you having to miss the bulk of the game. That really sucks and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.....well....unless they were Eagle or Cowboy fans

I'm a little more optimistic than you are. I think the Giants could very well win the division and have 12 or 13 wins. They grew a set of nuts they didn't know they had towards the end of the season and the youngsters now have a year under their belt and will better understand the ins and outs of the NFL. I do not think Eli's late season "getting the job done" attitude was a fluke...I really believe he has turned the corner and is ready to be one of the big guns in the NFL.

Sports magazines and commentators use "stats" as the only measuring stick when comparing QB's. But there is much more to being a QB than stats. Therefore, here's my 2 centavos My assessment of Eli Stats: Middle of the pack, but would be a lot better if there weren't so many dropped passes this past season. Eli hit recievers right on the numbers repeatedly, but the passes were dropped. Not a top 10 QB in this category yet Athleticism: (arm strength, accuracy, ability to run, etc.) leaves Eli in the middle of the pack - probably not a top 10 QB by this standard, but is improving and might well be in top 5 down the road (it would help he threw a few more "spirals" instead of "wobbles". Leadership: Eli has definitely taken over as the leader on the offense. He has the respect of the players around him and they like him and trust him. Top 10 QB in this category Ability to quickly comprehend changing defensive schemes: This is where Eli has improved the most. He studies films like a coach studies films and pushes himself to constantly improve. You can tell by the mannerisms he showed this season that he is getting more and more confident in reading the defense and is barking out what to expect to his teammates. Eli might be headed for the no. 1 QB in this category. Overall assessment: Definitely showing signs of a top 10 QB and guaranteed to be an elite QB in a couple of years. Eli reminds me of an old QB named Roger Staubach.....right down to the 2-minute drills at the end of games or half time, where Roger excelled like no QB before him or QB since. Staubach spent untold hours in the film room with Landry and picked Landry's brain for every drop of understanding he could get. After a few years, he was so in tune with Landry's thinking that he was like a QB with the coach's brain while on the field. Staubach wasn't the most athletic QB, but he became the smartest and most consistent QB in the NFL during his prime and with the game on the line, he would march the team the length of the field in the last minute to win the game.

I've never really understood who on the team gets superbowl rings and who doesn't. Does Shockey get one for being on the team for most of the year? Do only players who were "active" during the actual game get rings? What about coaches and trainers? Anyway....just wondering. I'm sure that someone on this board knows.

A lot of sites have Keith Rivers rated higher....faster, stronger, more athletic, etc. However, I think Conner has that intangible measurement, the sheer desire to tear opponents heads off and his brain is fast enough to more than compensate for his slightly less speed. I still think they'll both be on the board for the Giants, but if history has proven anything to me, it's that you should never try to figure out what the Giants are thinking. I just about guarantee that if corner back Leodis McKelvin is still on the board, or saftey Kenny Phillips, or DT/DE Kentwan Balmer, that the Giants will grab one of them instead and fill the linebacker need in a later round. I suspect they will go for the very best player on the board that fits into their defensive scheme. I don't see them going for an offensive player unless a really great WR fell through the cracks.

It seems every year the Giants talk about linebacker needs and don't bother to address it until the last couple of rounds. I can't remember the last time a linebacker went in the first round. If it's happened, it hasn't happened more than a couple times in the last half dozen years. For some reason, each year the 5 star linebackers stay on the board for the first round and oftentimes the second round. That's the long answer to your comment. The short one is, "Conner will likely be there at 32 (31)". Many analysts think Keith Rivers will go ahead of Conner and I wouldn't be surprised he'll still be on the board as well.

I've been studying up on linebackers and his name is always at or near the top of best prospects. It's confusing to figure out whether he's an inside or outside linebacker. From what I have gathered, he played OLB at Penn St. for 3 years and switched to MLB in his senior year. The writeups on him say that he's an animal and a ferocious hitter....also, very smart, a quick study, and coachable. His times are not as fast as some of the other highly touted linebackers, but he makes up for it with his smarts and instinct. He'd be a great pick. I just don't know if he would be groomed for inside or outside. I don't see Pierce going anywhere soon, so I have to think the Giants are looking for a dedicated outside guy... However, a stud MLB to spell Pierce now and then while learning the ropes of the NFL would be a good idea.

Pretty good assessment. I personally would like to see Kiwinuka moved back to the line and then rotate the stud pass rushers to keep them fresh all game. I agree that William Joseph should be cut. He's awfully expensive to keep and he is below mediocre. I think just about any free agent with at least 4 years of experience would be better. I would love to see the Giants pursue Asante Samuel and give one last kick in the groin to the patriots. He's a stud corner and would fit into the Giants defense like a custom made glove. Come draft day, I see the Giants going after a saftey, a cornerback, a linebacker, a wide reciever, and maybe some additional line help. The good news about this coming draft is that it is absolutely loaded unlike a lot of previous years. There will be studs available by the end of the 2nd round that would have been a top 10 pick in previous drafts. The Giants should be able to pick up some excellent players in the draft, even at the position they are choosing. I see a bright future~

I think the most important thing is to start grooming young guys for positions held down by the older guys. If we can steal a WR that's top notch it would be nice because those guys get hurt so often. We definitely could shore up the linebackers and get some good defensive backs to compete with our current crop. The main thing is to get up and comers a chance to be groomed while keeping the starters healthy all season. One way to extend the life of a quality starter is to spell him now and then with youngsters as they're learning the ins and outs of the NFL. I thought for sure we were dead in the water this year once Kiwanuka and Shockey went down as well as watching Plax and Jacobs fight through injuries. If we stay healthy and let some new blood cut their teeth, we should be looking pretty good next year. The trick will be for the team to keep the intensity they mustered up at the end of this season. That'll be hard to do, but at least those on the current team know what they have to do and how hard they want to win to go all the way.

I've already started doing my homework so I'll be ready after the combines. This should be fun.

Great vid. Thanks for sharing. I like the term, "NY Giants, The Official Cheaters Beaters"

Make that 80-3

I see the name, "Immaculate Connection" being used in a couple of articles now. Using the term "connection" instead of "catch" or "reception" makes a lot of sense since it was a double-barrel miracle in my opinion.