parlintm

I would say that's pretty accurate.

But Griesen doesnt want to play WLB, he said he wants to play MLB which is why hes looking elsewhere. From your definition of a "team player" he doesnt sound like one. Dont you want team players and therefore he should not be a part of this team. Nice job EA on passing on this me-first piece of trash!

You guys say that we should be careful to not overpay for Lavar yet you want us to give Griesen starters money. He says that he wants to play MLB, which makes him the backup to Pierce. Since he will be a reserve its stupid to pay him the salary equivalent of a starting LB when we should be using remaing money under the cap to secure a starting DT or OLB. Yes, he performed very well for us last year but he's not going to start for us and therefore should not be paid like it. Until his demands come down we should not negotiate with him. I thought you guys of all people would think this.

Since Im drafting as the Seahawks and don't have a third round draft pick, Im available to draft for another team if a GM is unable to make the 3rd round.

Here's my take on the Giants thus far, hopefully a bit of compromise so that we can actually discuss these issues.... realistically: Offense - Pretty much set here. We could definitely use another WR but its not at the top of our priorities. Much of the offense's improvement (if not all of it) lies in the development of Eli Manning. If he plays up to his potential, this offense could be very good. If he flounders back there, teams will be able to key on Tiki and our offense will be good, but not great. As for Plax and Shockey not working out with the team... its not the ideal situation but it is what it is. We're not trading either one of them or cutting them, so we just have to hope that they get plenty of work on their timing w/ Eli during camps. Not an issue worth discussing anymore. Defense: Secondary - I think that it's slightly improved from last year. Madison is a definite upgrade over Allen (even if he is a step slower). Losing Will P definitely hurts but the signing of McQuarters and Demps will hopefully offset the loss. Our young secondary players (Webster, Deloach and Bulter) should be much improved with the valuable experience they got last year and they will have a better understanding of the defense heading into training camp. I doubt that the Giants will make any moves to improve this between now and camp. We may add a draftee to the secondary but this will be a player for the future, not this year. Front 7 - This is the part of our defense that is the most talented as well as the areas of the greatest need. LB - Pierce is the man at MLB for the next few years. At OSLB we have Torbor and Emmons. Torbor is young and talented but has yet to put it all together. I think he still needs a year or two before he really hits his potential. Emmons is getting old but he's still serviceable at LB. Beyond these guys we have very little depth. Our first draft pick should be a LB (either Carpenter, Greenway or Ryans). Whoever our first round pick is, we should expect them to be a starter from day 1. Also I wouldnt rule out signing Lavar quite yet. While our LB core is very thin at the moment, come training camp we should expect to have added at least 1 quality player that we expect to be a starter. DE - We have the best DE's in the game. Between Strahan and Osi w/ Tuck backing them up we have it all. DT - This is arguably our weakest position. While the fab 4 continue to hate on Joseph, he is clearly our DT for now. He has shown that he can play well at times and as the time comes for him to become a FA we can expect him to put forth solid effort and hopefully provide a mainstay at the DT position. I think its clear that EA has at least one more FA signing in him. If we dont get Lavar (which is likely) then we will sign a DT. I think the latest move (cutting Allen who was out of shape and not participating in work outs) hints that we will draft at least one DT. I expect somewhere in rounds 2 or 3. A rotation of Joseph, Free agent and 2nd round draft pick, while it won't be our strongest unit should be servieable and give our LB's and DE's time to make plays. So while our defense has some clear holes that need to be addressed, come training camp I expect that we will have filled these holes with a FA signing and draft picks. By the time Training camp starts, I think we can expect our defense to look something like this: DE: Strahan, Osi -- Tuck, Moore DT: Joseph, Buckner -- Round 2 Pick LB: Torbor, Pierce, Carpenter -- Blackburn, Emmons CB: Madison, Webster -- McQuarters, Deloach S: Gibril, Demps -- Butler IMO, this defense is much improved from last year and at the very minimum should give our high scoring offense a great opportunity to win every week. I dont see the need for cynicism at this point since there's still a long way to go before the season starts. Signings and draft picks still to come.

I think out of all muscles to tear -- especially for a RB -- the hamstring is arguably the worst. It's an injury that lingers for a LONG time (just look at Torbor who has yet to heal from his hammy injury last year). Given that we have much greater needs, Ill stay away from the out-of-shape RB with the leg injury and draft one of these guys: Sims, Greenway, Carpenter, Ryans or Cromartie

On a similar note, Vernon Davis has been a huge climber since Mock Drafts first started. Early on he was projected to be a mid round pick but since the combine he has sky rocketed. I guess a 4.38 for a 240 lb man who is athletic and has good hands will do that. There has never been a TE in the NFL with draft with better workout numbers to go with a dominating collegiate career. Right now he's currently projected to be a pick 6-9, but I wouldnt be suprised if he somehow sneaks his way into the top 5 somehow. This guys got "gamebreaker" written all over him.

Im with money on this one. I think the LB that would most compliment our current players the best is Demeco Ryans. Although, I think we're pretty fortunate in the fact that we're going to be able to get a pretty damn good player at #25.

I'm really sorry I missed tonight. I had an unexpected passover seder that I needed to go to and was unavailable to be online. If the draft restarts on Monday I will definitely be available to finish the draft. As for my team, the Seahawks we were actually targeting Cedric Griffin as our second round pick. At this point it looks like a rookie will be starting for the Seahawks at corner, unless of course they sign Ty Law. Cedric Griffin is a great compliment to our first round pick, Youboty, because we expect to have solid competition in training camp for that second CB slot. Both Youboty and Griffin played at big schools against top flight competition. The chances of one of them emerging as a solid NFL corner is good. But then again we might get Ty Law.

I just think that its silly to make a risky pick on someone when there are other, very talented, not so risky players out there. Yes, they might be slightly less talented but Im in favor of passing on injury in favor of healthy 9 out of 10 times. I think its worth it in a scenario such as Cromartie's where you can get an incredibly talented player who seems to have recovered from injury but has dropped in the draft none-the-less. I was fine with drafting Webster for the same reason. But Allen's injury seems far from recovered and I dont think hes talented enough to justify the risky pick. Just my two pennies.

I think there's a chance he's available in the fourth. I would stay away from him though, until the 4th round or so. This draft seems pretty deep and we will be able use our 3rd round draft pick on someone who is talented and doesnt have a degenerative injury. Id rather draft Brandon Johnson or Will Blackmon instead of Allen.

I was hoping that Greenway or Cromartie would fall to me but they got picked right before. Had we had the option to trade the pick, I would have looked to trade down. Since that wasn't an option, I felt that I had to go with CB. I thought that the best value lay at this position and since its the only glaring need on the Seahawks it was the only way to go. That said, Im not sold on Youboty being able to contribute this year but if you look at their roster he definitely would be a leading contender for that second corner slot. Currently, the Seahawks are the leading candidate to sign Ty Law this year. Even if they sign him, drafting a CB in the 1st round is still the best move since they have no depth at this positon. But if they can add Law and a 1st rounder, their defense becomes one of the best in the NFL. IMO, this is DEFINITELY the team to beat this year in the NFC. Carolina and the Bears will be good but they don't have a great offense AND defense like Seattle does.

***NEW SELECTION*** Seattle Seahawks -- Defending NFC Champs. Their offense is arguably the most balanced in the NFC so no big needs here. We turn to defense where there are a few: DE - While the team was one of the tops in the leagues in sacks, they are lacking a true pass rushing threat. Hali and Kiwanuka are definite consideration here. CB - Huge hole opposite Trufant. There is a chance that they sign Law in which case they can look elsewhere. If not, CB has to be the pick here. Ideally they can get someone that can compete for a starting spot from day 1. So given the need at CB there are a few to choose from: Jonathon Joseph, Richard Marshall and Youboty. Since the Seahawks are trying to win the SB this year, we go with Youboty since he is the most pro-ready of the three and faced top competition in college. ASTON YOUBOTY CB -- OHIO ST.

Money, can you tell what time my pick is? Or if anybody else knows, please let me know. Im the Seahawks (the team that I think is the "team to beat" in the NFC). Week 3.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjourn...ts/14295676.htm Productive WR out of the University of Akron. Was not invited to the Combine but just ran a couple of 40's in the 4.36-4.39 range for scouts. Says that he's visiting with the Giants. Given that we're most likely going to draft a WR, this could be a good pick in the middle rounds.

Regarding RB, if Tiki were to go down it would be a killer but I dont think it would be the most devestating injury to this team. I think we actually experienced that one last year when Antonio Pierce went down. If Tiki were to get injured, Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward would split the RB duties. I actually think that those two could provide a pretty solid running game. As we saw in preseason, Jacobs might be quick enough to turn the corner and isn't necessarily going to be only a third down back. He can pound the defenses and then let Ward run by then. Granted, those two can't replace what Tiki brings to the table every game but I think they can give us enough to allow us to win any given sunday.

A couple of things: 1) If we draft a LT, Mcneill type, Id still like to see us keep Whitfield. If Luke were to get injured this season, Id like to know that we had a veteran to step in and take his place. We have a tough schedule and to ask a rookie to take on some of the DE's we play against is asking a lot. 2) There's no way that you can predict whether or not an OT will be able to start after a year. Just look back to the draft 2 years ago, when people wanted us to take Gallery with the 4th pick. He was considered an absolute stud and a lock to be great. Now hes playing RT for the Raiders and struggling mightily there. OT is just one of the hardest, if not the hardest, position to gauge how the player will turn out in the NFL. So anybody taken at 25 is not a sure thing. I know you can say that nobody is, but I think the chances of someone like Demeco Ryans being a bust are much slimmer than someone like McNeill. 3) Luke really isnt TOO terrible. He's a great run blocker and a decent pass blocker. His problems lie in the false starts that he commits. If he can get those under control hes a decent player. If he can cut down on the penalties, hed actually be close to his market value. Starting LT's are rare in the NFL so they are expensive. As you pointed out, just check out some of the salaries lately being paid to offensive linemen. So yes, we need a backup... badly. I just think we can afford to wait until the mid rounds... 3rd or 4th seem about right, before we try to find a player that has the potential to be a starting LT for us a few years down the road.

If eli's so awful then a team wouldnt trade a top pick for him. Also, we'll keep in mind that you would rather have Cutler over Eli and see how that one works itself out in the long run.

You don't need to convince me of our need at LT, I agree completely. Unfortunately we've got an average player with a pro-bowl salary. He's signed through the next 3 season ($4.5, 5, 5). As you've mentioned, we don't have a legitimate replacement for him. So what are our options? Draft and FA. Signing a quality LT is expensive and so if we're going for value, as you've hinted at, we need to turn to the draft. Lets say we use our first pick on an OT, Marucs Mcneill to put a name on it. So this year he is going to sit on our bench and not play too much. He'll get very little playing time. He'll get a chance to play if/when Luke's back flares up and he has to sit for a game. Mcneill would be Whitfield's backup then. So look ahead to next offseason. We have Luke, still w/ a high salary and an unproven second year player behind him. We should be VERY good by then, given developments of Osi, Gibril, Tuck, Webster and this years draft picks. So we won't be in a rebuilding stage so cutting Luke in favor of an unproven youngster would be a stupid idea. The point is, I dont think we'll be able to cut Luke next year either, even if we use the 25th pick on a LT. For that reason, Id rather use a pick in rounds 2-5 on a guy that we think we can develop to replace Luke after 2 seasons. That way, we can also get better value out of this years first round pick and address needs that we have this year.

Too bad that the these guys had to get involved with this thread. Nice first post and good topic... just strayed a bit.

I agree that we need to find Luke's replacement sometime soon. I just think that this draft has too much talent at our pick to take a risk on an offensive tackle a few years from now. Id much rather see us go LB, WR, CB or DT in the first and take a LT in a later round. This draft isnt exactly stacked at OT.

Ive heard this excuse a lot. Why are our fans older than say green bay or pittsburgh? Those ones have lines forever long to get season tickets.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedi.../content.6.html This is a list of the 10 toughest places to play in the NFL. The Giants, obviously, didnt make the list. What's the reason for this? I've been to a few games the past couple of years and have been slightly disappointed in the fans. What suprises me about this, is that Yankee stadium has the loudest fans in baseball. I would think New Yorkers should be in the top 10. What are people's thoughts on this? Is it the fans, stadium, weather, concessions...?

This Giants schedule is VERY difficult. In a previous thread, I made a game by game prediction as a joke, having us finish 12-4. The Giants have the toughest schedule in all of football, making a 12-4 season highly unlikely. I would rank the NFC East as the most difficult division in all of football. EVERY team in the NFC East could potentially come away with it. These teams are going to beat up on each other all season long, making it unlikely that a wildcard emerges from this division. To make the playoffs, we are going to have to be NFC East Champions. That said, I like our chances. Our offense is going to be fantastic again. We have returning players from last year AT EVERY POSITION. I also think that we might even add a WR in the first three rounds. So barring major injury, we're going to be even better on offense next year. Last year, it was our defense that needed help. Our D got ravaged by injuries and if the secondary wasn't losing the game for us we considered it a success. Since then, the important injuries have healed with the exception of Torbor's Hammy. We signed a Pro Bowl CB in addition to a solid veteran S. I think these 2 signings will go a long way in improving our defense. Corey Webster and Curtis Deloach are no longer rookies. I think we can start expecting things out of Webster very soon. Osi is only going to be better. Strahan has shown no signs of slowing down. We are probably going to draft a talented LB in the first. If we sign Arrington... look out. This defense has the potential to be very good. I dont think Philae will bounce back in 1 year from the TO debacle and aren't really contenders, their offense just sucks too much. The Cowboys are pretty good, but they have Bledsoe as their QB. Their offense won't be better than ours and I think our defenses match up pretty evenly. The Redskins' defense is losing Arrington, a big loss, but they will still be one of the best in the league. Their offense should be much improved with a healthy Portis and the addition of some quality receivers. Defenses can no longer key in on Moss. They should be VERY good this year. I think we have a pretty good shot coming out of this division. I know I'm biased, but I think we're the best, most balanced team of the four. The Redskins scare me, but I think we can take them. Its not going to be pretty, but because ALL of the teams are good this year, none of them will have a great record. I think if we can manage to go 11-5 we win it. If we go 10-6 we probably tie and it comes down to tiebreakers.

Here's how I see it going: 10 — Indianapolis, 8 p.m. ET -- Lost Edge, give us Edge. WIN. 17 — at Philadelphia -- We're the better team. WIN 24 — at Seattle -- NFC Champs at Home. LOSE OCTOBER 1 — BYE 8 — Washington -- Coming off a bye, Giants are refocused for big game. WIN 15 — at Atlanta -- Michael Shmichael. Osi, Strah and Pierce chase him down all day. WIN 23 — (Monday night) at Dallas -- Dont know if we can stop TO on the road on monday night. LOSE 29 — Tampa Bay -- AP will stop the Cadillac. WIN NOVEMBER 5 — Houston -- Still sucks even w/ Reggie. WIN 12 — Chicago -- This is a dangerous team, gonna be one of the NFC best. LOSE 20 — (Monday night) at Jacksonville -- Another good team on the road. LOSE 26 — at Tennessee -- We win by a lot. WIN DECEMBER 3 — Dallas -- We take them at home. WIN 10 — at Carolina -- A little payback for last year. WIN 17 — Philadelphia -- Eagles suck. WIN 24 — New Orleans -- This team will be much improved, but not our caliber. WIN 30 — (Saturday) at Washington -- A hot Giants team keeps up the momentum for the playoffs. WIN Giants finish 12-4 and take the NFC east. Playoffs here we come.