2007 NY Giants Articles and Video

[jerseygiantfan]

Irate Tuna sinks GM talk

 

 

 

By GARY MYERS

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

 

Cowboys coach Bill Parcells was so angry about reports that he had expressed interest in the Giants GM job that he called team co-owner John Mara yesterday to put out the fire.

 

"There is absolutely nothing to it," Parcells said from Dallas. "Absolutely nothing. There has been no contact, either directly or through an intermediary. Whoever said it is a liar."

 

 

Parcells is trying to decide whether to return for a fifth season as the Cowboys coach, but he's not ready to make that decision so soon after Dallas' crushing wild-card loss to the Seahawks last weekend.

 

 

He has until Feb. 1 to inform Cowboys owner Jerry Jones if he will be back but is expected to make his decision much earlier.

 

 

Parcells served as the Jets coach/GM from 1997-1999 and GM only in 2000, but he said he has no desire to be a GM again. One report said Parcells was interested in being the Giants GM, but the team told him it was not interested.

 

 

"There is absolutely no truth to that report," Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said.

 

Originally published on January 10, 2007

[TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt]

Irate Tuna sinks GM talk

 

 

 

By GARY MYERS

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

 

Cowboys coach Bill Parcells was so angry about reports that he had expressed interest in the Giants GM job that he called team co-owner John Mara yesterday to put out the fire.

 

"There is absolutely nothing to it," Parcells said from Dallas. "Absolutely nothing. There has been no contact, either directly or through an intermediary. Whoever said it is a liar."

Parcells is trying to decide whether to return for a fifth season as the Cowboys coach, but he's not ready to make that decision so soon after Dallas' crushing wild-card loss to the Seahawks last weekend.

He has until Feb. 1 to inform Cowboys owner Jerry Jones if he will be back but is expected to make his decision much earlier.

Parcells served as the Jets coach/GM from 1997-1999 and GM only in 2000, but he said he has no desire to be a GM again. One report said Parcells was interested in being the Giants GM, but the team told him it was not interested.

"There is absolutely no truth to that report," Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said.

 

Originally published on January 10, 2007

As if I would believe ANYTHING coming out of The Prostitute's mouth.

[jerseygiantfan]

How come I got un-pinned???

[LT_True_Blue]

prob because no new articals

[jerseygiantfan]

prob because no new articals

 

 

I've had new articles everyday.

[jerseygiantfan]

Fassel interviews for Raiders coaching job

Associated Press

 

 

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Former New York Giants coach Jim Fassel interviewed Thursday for the Oakland Raiders' head coaching vacancy.

 

Fassel, the Raiders' quarterbacks in 1995, met with officials at the team's headquarters to talk about replacing the fired Art Shell.

 

Oakland fired Shell last week after a 2-14 season that was the worst season in the more than four decades that owner Al Davis has been with the franchise. The Raiders set a team record for losses and fewest points scored with a league-low 168.

 

Earlier in the week, the Raiders interviewed Southern California quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian. Oakland defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is expected to interview over the weekend.

 

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz could also be brought in for a second straight year for an interview, and the team also plans to talk to at least one or two minority candidates.

 

Fassel was fired in October as offensive coordinator in Baltimore after the Ravens scored just 10 offensive touchdowns in their first six games. Head coach Brian Billick took over the play-calling duties and the Ravens scored 22 offensive touchdowns in their final 10 games to win the AFC North.

 

Fassel was in his second year as Ravens offensive coordinator after serving a season as a senior consultant to the offense.

 

From 1997 to 2003, Fassel guided the Giants to two NFC East titles, a conference championship, an appearance in the Super Bowl and a wild-card playoff berth while posting a 58-53-1 record. He was NFL coach of the year in 1997 and lost the 2001 Super Bowl to Baltimore.

 

The Raiders are hoping to complete this year's search for Shell's replacement in a shorter time frame than the more than five weeks it took to replace Norv Turner a year ago.

 

Most of the candidates are offensive-minded. Most of the NFL's third-ranked defense is set to return next season, putting the focus on rebuilding an offense that was one of the league's worst.

 

Oakland has the No. 1 pick in April's draft and could use it on quarterbacks Brady Quinn of Notre Dame or JaMarcus Russell of LSU.

 

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

[UK-Giantsfan]

yeah .... Jersey ..... i like your articles ( you deserve to be pinned ) ....so to speak

[jerseygiantfan]

Fish game likely in London

 

 

 

 

 

The Giants' road to Super Bowl XLII likely will include a trip overseas.

The NFL is expected to announce in a few weeks that the Giants' regular-season game against the Miami Dolphins in 2007 will be played at London's Wembley Stadium. The Giants would be the visiting team in that game.

 

Earlier this week, the NFL announced that six teams - Buffalo, Kansas City, Miami, New Orleans, San Francisco and Seattle - were in the running to be the home team for the league's inaugural overseas, regular-season game, which would be played in England or Germany. Every team in the league is expected to play at least one game outside the U.S. during the next 16years.

 

According to one report yesterday, the NFL will announce next week that the game will be played in London. That report also said it's possible that the Bills will be the road team. But the Giants obviously have a higher profile than the Bills, and sponsors of the game in England reportedly have been pushing for the Giants for more than a year.

 

 

Ralph Vacchiano

 

 

Originally published on January 12, 2007

[UK-Giantsfan]

WOW ....that is amazing .....you can all come and stay in my house in England ( except Lockhart ! )

[NeMesiS]

WOW ....that is amazing .....you can all come and stay in my house in England ( except Lockhart ! )

I honestly don't think its a good idea. But I guess its good for the NFL.

[jerseygiantfan]

Wife: 15M, Strahan: 0

 

Sack master's spouse scores big - judge

gives her the house, car and pile of loot

 

BY AUSTIN FENNER and RICH SCHAPIRO

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

 

 

 

 

 

Jean Strahan can buy the family's $3.6 million 'dream house' in Montclair, N.J., from her husband for $1.4 million.

Giants sack king Michael Strahan's ex-wife walked away with more than half of his fortune, his "dream house," luxury SUV and a fat lump-sum payout yesterday after a judge rejected his bid to toss their prenuptial agreement.

Jean Strahan - who was worth $250,000 when she married the football star in 1999 - was awarded over $15 million in all, court papers revealed.

 

The decision was a stinging defeat for Michael Strahan who had argued his ex-wife was entitled to no more than $7 million of his $23 million fortune.

 

Dressed in a black cashmere turtleneck, black slacks and black heels, Jean Strahan said she felt vindicated that the judge believed her.

 

"All I ever asked for was that the prenup that Michael and his lawyers wrote be upheld and enforced," the 41-year-old mother of two said outside her lawyer's office in New Jersey.

 

"You just don't walk away and say, 'I'm done.' You don't erase your obligations and agreements."

 

The judge's decision ended a bitter divorce proceeding between the blond beauty and the Giants great.

 

The once-loving couple tore into one another last summer with dueling allegations of physical abuse, infidelity and wild spending.

 

The trial exploded when Jean Strahan claimed her husband was leading an "alternative lifestyle" after moving out of their Montclair, N.J., estate. She later said she didn't mean to suggest he was gay, just a philanderer.

 

She also charged that he used a camera hidden in a clock radio to peep on one of her sisters.

 

New Jersey Superior Court Judge James Convery didn't buy Michael Strahan's claims that the couple had agreed to modify their prenup because they were sharing their assets.

 

"[Michael Strahan] failed to present any credible evidence that there was an actual bargaining process with the defendant, and what he promised to do," Convery wrote.

 

Jean Strahan was awarded $7.5 million, plus an additional $1.2 million in interest, based solely upon the prenup.

 

She also was awarded half of the couple's joint assets, about $6.6 million, as well as $214,745 in annual child support payouts and their leased Cadillac Escalade. She can buy the couple's $3.6 million "dream house" in Montclair from her ex for $1.4 million.

 

The ruling noted that in July 2001, while the couple was trying to have a child, Michael Strahan had asked his wife to redo their prenup, which called for him to deposit 20% of his annual income each year into an account controlled by his wife.

 

Strahan's wife told the court she refused and insisted her money be deposited in a separate account - which never happened.

 

Her account was bolstered, the judge concluded, by Strahan's reaction when his wife confronted him about his lawyer's repeated phone calls in 2001.

 

The Giants star called his lawyer in front of his wife and told the attorney that there was no need to rework the prenup, according to the court papers.

 

"We're happy," Strahan told his lawyer. "I'm happy to be home; we have no problems. Let's just stop everything."

 

The judge also concluded that Strahan agreed to open joint banking accounts, buy property with her and combine their assets - even though he was not required to by their prenup - because the couple had been in love.

 

The judge noted that Strahan had sent his wife "letters, cards, e-mails and notes" professing his love and even wrote a song for her.

 

Strahan's claim that he could not recall writing the fawning notes and song was "simply not credible," the judge ruled.

 

Strahan's attorney, Robert Penza, did not return calls yesterday.

 

"It's over today," Jean Strahan said. "He wanted his freedom and he's got it."

 

"We had some bad times, but we had a great love affair. He was in love with me. Period. End of story."

 

And just like a Super Bowl winner, when asked what she's going to do next, she flashed a smile and said, "I'm going to Disney World with the kids."

 

 

What Jean Strahan gets

 

 

Prenup payout

$7.5 million plus $1.2 million in interest

 

Half of all assets

$6.6 million

 

Dream house

She can buy the family's $3.6 million "dream house" in Montclair, N.J., from her husband for $1.4 million

 

Luxury car

A leased Cadillac Escalade

 

Property

She gets half of the money from the sale of 256 pieces of furniture and other property

 

Child support

$214,745 a year; Michael Strahan also must pay 91% of the cost of their children's private schooling, camp and higher education fees. She will cover the rest.

 

Originally published on January 13, 2007

[jerseygiantfan]

What kind of Mann is he?

 

Eli's struggles fueling questions of Giant mistake

 

BY RALPH VACCHIANO

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

 

 

Eli Manning has a 20-21 record as Giants starter, including 0-2 in the playoffs.

 

Three seasons have passed since Draft Day 2004, when Ernie Accorsi anointed Eli Manning the savior of then-CEO John Mara's "franchise in trouble." In those three years, Manning has thrown 54 touchdowns and 44 interceptions, and won 20 games while losing 21.

Three years ago, Tom Coughlin was convinced that Manning would eventually be "very special," and Accorsi insisted that the young QB had a chance to be "great." Nothing in the quarterback's 41 starts has convinced them that they were wrong.

 

Outside the organization, however, Manning has developed legions of devoted doubters, who shake their heads and roll their eyes at every over- and under-thrown pass. They wonder, after three seasons, why he sometimes pales in comparison to Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers - the other two quarterback stars from his same draft class.

 

They wonder if he'll ever be the star the Giants expected. And they can't help but watch him and ask: Is this all there is?

 

"I'd be careful with the word 'star,'" says NBC and NFL Network analyst Cris Collinsworth. "His brother is a star. There are probably four or five stars. He's got a long way to go to get to there.

 

"But I think he can be an upper middle-class QB. If the light bulb starts to come on, there's no question he could be one of the top-end guys," Collinsworth adds. "But the Tom Bradys, the Peyton Mannings, you could see it some in their first year and some in their second year. Usually its a little clearer cut right off the bat."

 

There's no doubt that Giants management wanted a clearer picture of Manning by now, too, which is why, three years into Manning's career, the only thing clear is that if he doesn't blossom into a star next season, he will likely cost Coughlin his job. Their fates were tied together on Wednesday when Mara, the Giants' co-owner, admitted that Manning's lack of development was a "major part of our discussions" about whether to retain Coughlin for one more season.

 

The message was strong: Manning is the quarterback of the future and they plan on him being the Giants' leader for a long time. So if the coaches can't figure out a way to get him to play up to his potential, management won't hesitate to find a staff that can.

 

"There is nobody in this building that doubts his ability and that feels like he is not the guy to lead us to where we want to get to," Mara says. "But he has to play more consistently. We know the talent is there because we have seen him do it."

 

That is the most maddening thing about the 26-year-old Manning, whom the Giants acquired by trading three draft picks and Rivers (a Pro Bowler this season) to San Diego on April 24, 2004. There are times when his talent is obvious, like when he rallied the Giants from 13 points down with 13 minutes to go to beat the Denver Broncos last season, or when he threw for 352 yards in front of a hostile crowd in San Diego a few weeks earlier.

 

Even this past season, he stood toe-to-toe with his Hall of Fame-bound brother in the season opener - the "Manning Bowl" - completing 20 of 34 passes for 247 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Peyton's numbers were nearly identical (25 of 41, 276 yards, a touchdown and an interception), and for one night the family resemblance was clear.

 

That game appeared to be just the start. Manning's completion percentage - his biggest weakness in his first two seasons - was at 67.1% through four games. And that included a remarkable game in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, when he threw for 371 yards and three touchdowns while rallying the Giants from a 24-7 fourth-quarter deficit to an overtime win despite being sacked eight times.

 

"That was really one of the remarkable performances by any quarterback that we've seen this year," Collinsworth says. "He showed a toughness in that game that, quite frankly, I thought faded away at the end of the year."

 

All the things that had Manning seemingly on the verge of stardom one month into this season had faded away by October. His completion percentage quickly took a dive and his confidence seemed to follow. By the end of the year he was a mess, completing just 41.2% of his passes in the last two regular-season games.

 

Some of his problems were injury-related - he was clearly affected by the loss of left tackle Luke Petitgout (on Nov. 12) and receiver Amani Toomer (Nov. 5). Several teammates and observers say Manning collapsed under the weight of John Hufnagel's pass-happy offense - an attack that seemed designed to make the QB, not Tiki Barber, the focal point.

 

But a lot of Manning's problems were mechanical, too. He began throwing off his back foot again, missing some of his intended receivers by yards. One former NFL quarterback who was able to watch Manning warm up before at least one game this season said the Giants QB's accuracy was even a problem in pregame passing drills.

 

"Eli's still a work in progress," says Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon. "A lot of people expect a lot from him, but they've got to remember this is really just his third year. He's had a lot of flashes of brilliance, but has had some inconsistencies. But that happens with a lot of young quarterbacks, especially when you're playing in a pressure cooker like New York."

 

Moon also suggests that Manning's dysfunctional teammates were a problem for the young quarterback. "He's got a lot of talent around him," Moon says. "But some of that talent plays hard sometimes and they don't play hard sometimes." He did not mention any names.

 

Regardless of the reasons, it's hard to believe in Manning when he's compared to his peers. Manning finished 18th in the NFL this season with a quarterback rating of 77.0, which was far behind Rivers (92.0) and even behind Buffalo's J.P. Losman (84.9), who was drafted 22nd in 2004.

 

Manning finished three spots ahead of Roethlisberger (75.4), but the Steelers quarterback suffered through an injury-plagued season. As Manning and Accorsi know all too well, Roethlisberger has already won a Super Bowl ring.

 

A ring like that doesn't seem to be anywhere on Manning's horizon, not after the way he slumped in the second half for the second straight season, and not after 20 NFL starting quarterbacks finished with a better completion percentage than his 57.7%. He's too inconsistent from game to game, sometimes from pass to pass. Every time he appears to take a step in the right direction, he manages to take another step back.

 

For what it's worth, Coughlin didn't seem bothered by the idea that his fate may be tied to an erratic and struggling young quarterback, although he didn't exactly agree with that premise. When Coughlin was asked by his bosses for his vision of the Giants' future, an improved Manning was the first thing on his list.

 

"(It) is my belief that Eli will improve," Coughlin says. "He is the quarterback of the future. Certainly we have work to do there in consistency, in offensive point production, along those lines. But I'm very confident that we will achieve in that area.

 

"With Eli it's a process. It's a process that we're continuing to work on, and I have great faith that he recognizes what it is we need to improve upon and he will work at it. It's not a question of him not doing what we ask him to do. He's completely reliable and dependable in those areas. We have to get better. That's all."

 

Originally published on January 14, 2007

[TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt]

Wife: 15M, Strahan: 0

 

Sack master's spouse scores big - judge

gives her the house, car and pile of loot

 

BY AUSTIN FENNER and RICH SCHAPIRO

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

 

 

 

 

 

Jean Strahan can buy the family's $3.6 million 'dream house' in Montclair, N.J., from her husband for $1.4 million.

Giants sack king Michael Strahan's ex-wife walked away with more than half of his fortune, his "dream house," luxury SUV and a fat lump-sum payout yesterday after a judge rejected his bid to toss their prenuptial agreement.

Jean Strahan - who was worth $250,000 when she married the football star in 1999 - was awarded over $15 million in all, court papers revealed.

 

The decision was a stinging defeat for Michael Strahan who had argued his ex-wife was entitled to no more than $7 million of his $23 million fortune.

 

Dressed in a black cashmere turtleneck, black slacks and black heels, Jean Strahan said she felt vindicated that the judge believed her.

 

"All I ever asked for was that the prenup that Michael and his lawyers wrote be upheld and enforced," the 41-year-old mother of two said outside her lawyer's office in New Jersey.

 

"You just don't walk away and say, 'I'm done.' You don't erase your obligations and agreements."

 

The judge's decision ended a bitter divorce proceeding between the blond beauty and the Giants great.

 

The once-loving couple tore into one another last summer with dueling allegations of physical abuse, infidelity and wild spending.

 

The trial exploded when Jean Strahan claimed her husband was leading an "alternative lifestyle" after moving out of their Montclair, N.J., estate. She later said she didn't mean to suggest he was gay, just a philanderer.

 

She also charged that he used a camera hidden in a clock radio to peep on one of her sisters.

 

New Jersey Superior Court Judge James Convery didn't buy Michael Strahan's claims that the couple had agreed to modify their prenup because they were sharing their assets.

 

"[Michael Strahan] failed to present any credible evidence that there was an actual bargaining process with the defendant, and what he promised to do," Convery wrote.

 

Jean Strahan was awarded $7.5 million, plus an additional $1.2 million in interest, based solely upon the prenup.

 

She also was awarded half of the couple's joint assets, about $6.6 million, as well as $214,745 in annual child support payouts and their leased Cadillac Escalade. She can buy the couple's $3.6 million "dream house" in Montclair from her ex for $1.4 million.

 

The ruling noted that in July 2001, while the couple was trying to have a child, Michael Strahan had asked his wife to redo their prenup, which called for him to deposit 20% of his annual income each year into an account controlled by his wife.

 

Strahan's wife told the court she refused and insisted her money be deposited in a separate account - which never happened.

 

Her account was bolstered, the judge concluded, by Strahan's reaction when his wife confronted him about his lawyer's repeated phone calls in 2001.

 

The Giants star called his lawyer in front of his wife and told the attorney that there was no need to rework the prenup, according to the court papers.

 

"We're happy," Strahan told his lawyer. "I'm happy to be home; we have no problems. Let's just stop everything."

 

The judge also concluded that Strahan agreed to open joint banking accounts, buy property with her and combine their assets - even though he was not required to by their prenup - because the couple had been in love.

 

The judge noted that Strahan had sent his wife "letters, cards, e-mails and notes" professing his love and even wrote a song for her.

 

Strahan's claim that he could not recall writing the fawning notes and song was "simply not credible," the judge ruled.

 

Strahan's attorney, Robert Penza, did not return calls yesterday.

 

"It's over today," Jean Strahan said. "He wanted his freedom and he's got it."

 

"We had some bad times, but we had a great love affair. He was in love with me. Period. End of story."

 

And just like a Super Bowl winner, when asked what she's going to do next, she flashed a smile and said, "I'm going to Disney World with the kids."

What Jean Strahan gets

Prenup payout

$7.5 million plus $1.2 million in interest

 

Half of all assets

$6.6 million

 

Dream house

She can buy the family's $3.6 million "dream house" in Montclair, N.J., from her husband for $1.4 million

 

Luxury car

A leased Cadillac Escalade

 

Property

She gets half of the money from the sale of 256 pieces of furniture and other property

 

Child support

$214,745 a year; Michael Strahan also must pay 91% of the cost of their children's private schooling, camp and higher education fees. She will cover the rest.

 

Originally published on January 13, 2007

The thoughts "Shameless Bitch" and "Stupid Trusting Asshole" come to mind.

[jerseygiantfan]

GIANT GOES NUTS

STRAHAN BALLISTIC

By JANA WINTER

January 15, 2007 -- Giants superstar Michael Strahan last night angrily tried to confront the ex-wife who sacked him for $15 million in a divorce settlement, as he dropped off their kids at her New Jersey mansion, sources told The Post.

 

Montclair cops had to be called to Jean Strahan's ritzy home after the hulking Giant went ballistic and angrily demanded to see his former spouse - all while the pair's 2-year-old twin daughters were in the back of his luxury SUV, the sources said.

 

"If Jean's not here in five minutes, there's gonna be trouble," the defensive end warned Jean Strahan's live-in carpenter in the driveway of her home, the sources said.

 

Strahan seethed as he sat in his black Cadillac Escalade - with a gorgeous gal pal in the front seat beside him, and the little girls in the back - and was told by the carpenter that Jean was on an errand. The worker offered to bring the children into the house after their custody visit with their dad, the sources said.

 

"I'm not giving them to you. It has to be the nanny," Strahan said.

 

"The nanny's off on Sunday. You know that," the carpenter said.

 

"I paid for the nanny. Where is she?" Strahan reportedly said before warning of "trouble" if Jean didn't get home soon.

 

Strahan then jumped out of the vehicle - apparently violating a custody agreement - and started arguing more with the man, sources said. The kids were taken inside, and Strahan finally drove off - but only circled the block.

 

He came back and parked his idling car in front of the house, the sources said.

 

Police were called and surrounded Strahan's car.

 

He left after about an hour of questioning, and after a stunned Jean returned from a meeting with her lawyer. She was visibly upset as she rushed inside, past her ex-hubby and his mystery passenger, who looked a lot like Strahan gal pal Nicole "Cupcake" D'Oliveira.

 

Michael Strahan could not be reached for comment. His lawyer did not return calls. Neither Jean Strahan nor her lawyer could be reached.

 

On Friday, a judge upheld the couple's prenup, which handed her $15.3 million and hundreds of thousands more in child support.

 

According to the couple's custody agreement, Strahan is allowed to drive onto her property only to retrieve and drop off the kids.

 

"The husband may not leave his vehicle," it says. Instead, he must hand over the kids to Jean, her nanny "or another responsible person she may select."

 

The former spouses can communicate only via e-mail, the agreement states.

 

A police source said cops had been called to the house over an "incident involving the ex-husband."

 

Additional reporting by Jeane MacIntosh

 

jana.winter@nypost.com

[TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt]

GIANT GOES NUTS

STRAHAN BALLISTIC

By JANA WINTER

January 15, 2007 -- Giants superstar Michael Strahan last night angrily tried to confront the ex-wife who sacked him for $15 million in a divorce settlement, as he dropped off their kids at her New Jersey mansion, sources told The Post.

 

Montclair cops had to be called to Jean Strahan's ritzy home after the hulking Giant went ballistic and angrily demanded to see his former spouse - all while the pair's 2-year-old twin daughters were in the back of his luxury SUV, the sources said.

 

"If Jean's not here in five minutes, there's gonna be trouble," the defensive end warned Jean Strahan's live-in carpenter in the driveway of her home, the sources said.

 

Strahan seethed as he sat in his black Cadillac Escalade - with a gorgeous gal pal in the front seat beside him, and the little girls in the back - and was told by the carpenter that Jean was on an errand. The worker offered to bring the children into the house after their custody visit with their dad, the sources said.

 

"I'm not giving them to you. It has to be the nanny," Strahan said.

 

"The nanny's off on Sunday. You know that," the carpenter said.

 

"I paid for the nanny. Where is she?" Strahan reportedly said before warning of "trouble" if Jean didn't get home soon.

 

Strahan then jumped out of the vehicle - apparently violating a custody agreement - and started arguing more with the man, sources said. The kids were taken inside, and Strahan finally drove off - but only circled the block.

 

He came back and parked his idling car in front of the house, the sources said.

 

Police were called and surrounded Strahan's car.

 

He left after about an hour of questioning, and after a stunned Jean returned from a meeting with her lawyer. She was visibly upset as she rushed inside, past her ex-hubby and his mystery passenger, who looked a lot like Strahan gal pal Nicole "Cupcake" D'Oliveira.

 

Michael Strahan could not be reached for comment. His lawyer did not return calls. Neither Jean Strahan nor her lawyer could be reached.

 

On Friday, a judge upheld the couple's prenup, which handed her $15.3 million and hundreds of thousands more in child support.

 

According to the couple's custody agreement, Strahan is allowed to drive onto her property only to retrieve and drop off the kids.

 

"The husband may not leave his vehicle," it says. Instead, he must hand over the kids to Jean, her nanny "or another responsible person she may select."

 

The former spouses can communicate only via e-mail, the agreement states.

 

A police source said cops had been called to the house over an "incident involving the ex-husband."

 

Additional reporting by Jeane MacIntosh

 

jana.winter@nypost.com

He needed to take the 101 course on after signing the big contract ...not getting his ass locked up in a vise with a stupid ...ahem loving trusting pre-nuptial with a shameless user bitch like her. Number one if you are sooooo in luv....generally there is no need for a pre-nup because you are soooooo in luv. If he got any legal advice early on befroe he got married he sure did not follow it. Shit, any female relative or friend would have told him what a lunatic he was for signing a pre-nuptial as crazy as this one. Judges are known for rewarding gold digging no talent bitches like this....so why give them the rope to fucking hang you with. Might as well not have had one, than to have one as bad as this....it would have forced the judge to come to a rational agreement. And now he compounds his error because he is pissed off at his own stupidity by making a scene. But I do not blame him for not giving the kids over to the fucking handyman for Christ's sake. With all the molestation going on around the world .... I am going to leave my twin girls with a fucking handyman? Now he gets portrayed again as the " savage boorish beast" label that his ex-wife successfully painted him with. :TD:

[jerseygiantfan]

Reese the GM in Giant step

 

Right man for job & message

 

BY RALPH VACCHIANO

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

 

 

 

NFL front offices were still mostly white when Jerry Reese joined the NFL as a scout in 1994, and it would still be another eight years before the Baltimore Ravens hired the league's first African-American general manager.

Maybe that's why Gwen Reese laughed and brushed off her husband that year, when Jerry said, "You know what? I'm going to be the general manager someday."

 

Twelve years later, the 43-year-old Reese was proven right when he was introduced as the first African-American general manager in the 82-year history of the Giants yesterday morning. Co-owner John Mara said, "We felt very strongly that he was the guy, regardless of the race issue." But Reese said the race issue is one that "I don't take lightly."

 

He called himself "a torch-bearer to keep the dream alive."

 

"Only because I'm going to be successful," Reese said. "Only because of that reason. This is a show-me business. I can't come in here and win three games every year for four years and expect African-Americans to be advanced. So I don't take that lightly. There are many African-Americans coming along behind me saying, 'Man, look at Jerry.'"

 

Reese is now one of just three African-American GMs in the NFL, joining Baltimore's Ozzie Newsome and Houston's Rick Smith. He is also the one with the highest profile, by far.

 

"This really is the stage," said Hall of Famer Harry Carson, who attended Reese's press conference as the executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance (FPA), an organization dedicated to promoting diversity and equal opportunity in the NFL. "This is really the Mecca of football. Jerry understands that."

 

"Just think about the tens of millions of people in the New York area, how many teenagers there are who love football," said Cyrus Mehri, counsel for the FPA. "Now their eyes might open up a little bit if they see somebody like Jerry Reese in an important position.

 

"What message does that send to America's youth? That sends a message of hope."

 

That only adds to the pressure Reese feels to quickly succeed, as he has throughout his 12 NFL seasons. He broke in as a Giants scout in 1994, and became their assistant director of pro personnel five years later. In 2002 he was promoted to director of player personnel, making him the highest-ranking black executive in the history of the team.

 

He was so impressive in all of those jobs that he emerged as a candidate in recent years for GM jobs in Tampa Bay and Miami, and he quickly became the early favorite to replace the retiring Ernie Accorsi. He was also on the GM short list of his hometown Tennessee Titans, and Mara believed that if the Giants hadn't promoted him, "I think there's a good chance that we could have lost him."

 

To get the Giants job he beat out four other candidates - VP of player evaluation Chris Mara (John's younger brother), assistant GM Kevin Abrams, director of pro personnel Dave Gettleman, and former Redskins and Texans GM Charley Casserly. Mara will get a still-undefined larger role in the organization, and the Giants will hire a director of personnel to replace Reese after he runs one more draft for the Giants in April.

 

Mara believes he has himself a GM who, like his predecessor is not "a stand-pat type of guy, he's more of a take-charge type of guy" who has been a commanding and respected presence in the draft room since he arrived. Mara said that Reese's "extraordinary leadership skills, intelligence, confidence, superior work ethic and outstanding ability to evaluate players," got his attention, not the color of his skin.

 

"Obviously we're aware of the significance of this announcement," Mara said. "But you know what? In a couple of years from now, if we're not successful, no one's going to care about that. They'll be looking for changes.

 

"We obviously feel very strongly that he is the guy."

 

While race may not have had anything to do with the Giants' decision to hire Reese, it's impossible to downplay its importance. It resonated with Doug Williams, the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl, who is now a personnel executive with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Williams E-mailed Reese yesterday morning just to tell him he was proud.

 

And that's exactly the way Carson felt when his old "very conservative organization" made a progressive hire. He hailed it as a "huge step" for African-Americans, though he knows it's only a step forward if Reese is a success.

 

"You have to work harder to make sure you give yourself the best opportunity to win and succeed because eyes are on you," Carson said. "And with Jerry, he's astute enough to understand there are a lot of people watching him. He's a role model for so many.

 

"He only has one choice, and that is to succeed."

 

Reese's pieces

 

 

Jerry Reese was vague on his plans for the Giants' future yesterday, but there are three major things he must take care of during his first year on the job:

 

 

1. Replace Tiki Barber. Assuming he can't lure Barber out of retirement, Reese must find a way to fill the hole left by the Giants' best player. Brandon Jacobs is the heir apparent, but just in case he doesn't work out Reese must find a Plan B. He could pursue free agents Ahman Green or Michael Turner, or there is always the draft.

 

 

2. Evaluate Tom Coughlin. His one-year extension basically pushed D-Day off until January, 2008 and dumped the call in Reese's lap. He has until then to decide whether Coughlin is the right man for the Giants' long-term future, or to fire him and bring in his own coach.

 

 

3. Help Eli Manning. The future of the coach is already tied to the quarterback, and Reese may have this albatross around his neck, too. He needs to find someone who can get Manning to reach his potential. And if he doesn't, he needs to figure out a way for the franchise to move ahead with someone else.

 

Originally published on January 17, 2007

[jerseygiantfan]

Hopes for a

Tiki encore

 

 

 

 

Jerry Reese has the perfect replacement in mind for the now-retired Tiki Barber:

Tiki Barber.

 

Though he admits he "thinks the percentage is probably low," the Giants' new GM refused to close the door completely on Barber's 10-year career and plans to ask him if he will consider playing for at least one more season.

 

In an interview that will be broadcast on YES Network's This Week In Football tonight at 10, Reese said he'll have that conversation because "there's always a chance."

 

"Who knows?" Reese said. "Tiki might say at some point, 'You know what? I want to come back,' after he rests and gets his body healed up. You never know until you talk to him.

 

"After he rests and recharges his battery, you never know what can happen. You know pro athletes always think they want to retire, then all of a sudden they miss being out there. So after awhile, when Tiki's got his battery recharged and he's been away, relaxed and got his strength back from being beat-up, he'll be feeling good. Then all of a sudden he may say, 'You know what? I can go one more (year). Jerome Bettis did it.'"

 

Barber finished 2006 fourth in the NFC with 1,662 rushing yards and 5.12 yards per carry. Her is the Giants' all-time leading rusher with 10,449 yards and all-purpose yards (15,632).

 

 

Ralph Vacchiano

 

 

Originally published on January 17, 2007

[jerseygiantfan]

Reese becomes third black GM in NFL

Associated Press

 

 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Jerry Reese says it was fitting the New York Giants tapped him for their general manager's job on the holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

 

"Not to sound cliched, but I really feel like it's my time to carry the torch," Reese said Tuesday as the team formally introduced him a day after he was picked. He is the third black general manager in NFL history.

 

"Many people went before me who suffered through this process and now it's my time. I'm looking forward to this challenge. It's my time to keep this dream alive. It's very important to me and I don't take it lightly."

 

Reese, who has been with the Giants since 1994 in various capacities and was the team's director of player of personnel the last four years, succeeds Ernie Accorsi, who is retiring after nine seasons with the team.

 

Reese said his career with the Giants almost ended before it began. He had risen in the coaching ranks at Tennessee-Martin, his alma mater, and had his eye on the head coaching position when he was approached by Giants scout Jeremiah Davis, who had also coached at the school.

 

"He called and said, 'We need a scout in the Southeast,"' Reese said. "I said, 'No way, I'm not going.' But he said, 'Please give us a chance.' And, long story short, here I am."

 

Accorsi, coach Tom Coughlin and Giants co-owner John Mara all praised Reese's skill at evaluating talent and his no-nonsense approach on draft day as qualities that made him the right pick.

 

Coughlin got his introduction to Reese during his first draft with the Giants in 2004, the year New York traded with San Diego to acquire quarterback Eli Manning.

 

"I was very impressed with way Jerry ran the draft," Coughlin said. "The efficiency, the leadership and the way the room was organized. You can waste an awful lot of time on things that aren't critical, and Jerry never let that happen."

 

The Giants' fortunes are tied to Manning's progress, and the quarterback appeared to regress at times this season. Reese simultaneously defended Manning against a growing chorus of detractors while acknowledging the Giants will do "everything possible" to help his development, including hiring a new quarterbacks coach.

 

"Eli's progress right now is not where we want it to be, obviously," Reese said. "He's played for two full seasons as a starter, so he's really not that far behind. I think it's overexaggerated. Look at the quarterbacks that are playing now in the playoffs, are those guys that much better? I don't think so. He's our franchise and I hope he'll be here for a long time."

 

Reese's promotion is one of a series of moves in an overall shake-up of the staff. Coughlin's contract was extended for a year, but defensive coordinator Tim Lewis was released and former offensive coordinator John Hufnagel was replaced for the last game of the regular season and the playoff game by quarterbacks coach Kevin Gilbride.

 

The only other black general managers in the NFL are Baltimore's Ozzie Newsome and Houston's Rick Smith. There are several black men who have considerable say in front offices, notably Rod Graves of Arizona, whose title is senior vice president-football operations. Ray Anderson was vice president of the Atlanta Falcons for the last four years before moving to the NFL in August as senior vice president of football operations.

 

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

[jerseygiantfan]

Tiki jumps gun with Giant 'No'

 

 

 

BY RALPH VACCHIANO

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

 

 

Tiki Barber doesn't expect to unpack his Giants past any time soon.

 

 

Jerry Reese, the new Giants general manager, hasn't tried to talk Tiki Barber out of retirement yet, but the running back has already given his answer:

"Thanks, but no thanks."

 

Barber made it clear that, while he will be happy to talk to Reese, he has absolutely no intention of unretiring. The still-retired rusher delivered that message on his Sirius NFL radio show, "The Barber Shop" on Tuesday night, and he will likely deliver it to Reese again sometime in the next few weeks.

 

"(Reese) said this to me maybe five or six times along the line: 'Tiki, I don't know if they're going to give me this job but if they do, I need to talk to you,'" Barber said on his show. "So I'm answering Jerry's question and everybody else's questions. He said the percentage is probably low. Well, Jerry, I can tell you, I'm not coming out of retirement but I appreciate the offer."

 

The rejection was not surprising since the 31-year-old Barber has been preparing for the next phase of his career for many years. Still, Reese said on Tuesday that he planned to talk to the Giants' all-time leading rusher after he "got his battery recharged and he's been away, relaxed and got his strength back from being beat up.

 

"Then all of a sudden he may say, 'You know what? I can go one more (year),'" Reese added. "'Jerome Bettis did it."

 

However, Barber has appeared to be recharged by his new opportunities more than he was by the latter stages of his NFL career. He is expected to announce a deal in the near future with either NBC or ABC/ESPN that would allow him to work in both news and sports broadcasting. He has also begun his foray into the business world, reportedly inking a deal to invest in O Water, a brand of flavored bottle water.

 

Neither Barber nor his agent, Mark Lepselter, could be reached for comment yesterday, but Barber left no wiggle room during his radio show. He said he knows the Giants are in "a tough situation" because of their "embattled coach" and a quarterback who "hasn't played consistently great." And he knows they have a new GM and "a little bit of turmoil," despite making the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 16 years.

 

He added that "there are some good things (and) some bad things" about the Giants' current situation and he wished Reese luck.

 

Then he insisted his mind is made up.

 

"Jerry, I appreciate your interest," Barber said. "I will talk to you, I'm sure, personally in the coming days to tell you, 'Thanks but no thanks.'"

 

Originally published on January 18, 2007

[jerseygiantfan]

Gilbride & Giants

are thinking deep

 

 

 

BY RALPH VACCHIANO

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

 

 

Kevin Gilbride

 

 

Kevin Gilbride has seen enough of Eli Manning in three seasons as his quarterbacks coach to come to this decision:

In 2007, he's going to let Manning air it out.

 

That's what he promised yesterday when he was officially introduced as the Giants' new offensive coordinator. Gilbride was not happy with the results of the Giants' downfield passing attack under former offensive coordinator John Hufnagel. And he said there's too much big-play potential on the Giants' offense to let it all go to waste.

 

"I certainly think that was a component that was missing this year," Gilbride said. "If you look at our total yardage per game and our yardage per attempt, we were significantly down. When you're running the ball as well as we have run it, it's going to give you some opportunities. I'm not so sure we took advantage of all those opportunities. We have to have a willingness to go down the field."

 

The Giants averaged 325.9 yards per game this season (14th in the NFL), and 191.1 yards passing (19th). But they only had 32 passing plays of more than 20 yards and only 13 of more than 30 yards - one fewer than they had with their rushing attack. That was a big reason why Gilbride replaced Hufnagel as the play-caller on Christmas morning.

 

In two games with Gilbride in command, the Giants averaged 27 points and 330 yards, thanks in large part to a 234-yard game in the regular-season finale by Tiki Barber. Tom Coughlin was so pleased with the results he didn't even interview Gilbride before handing him the same job he held for Coughlin's Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995 and '96.

 

They both are in agreement on the direction they want the offense to take.

 

"I expect the ball to go down the field more than it did this year," said Coughlin. "We didn't score enough points (and) our big-play production was not what it was a year ago. Those two things have to come back up."

 

 

 

PASSING TORCH: Gilbride said the Giants are in no rush to hire a new quarterbacks coach. Two possibilities are former Giants quarterback Jason Garrett, who was the QBs coach in Miami last year, and Buffalo's offensive quality control coach Alex Van Pelt, who played for the Bills when Gilbride was the offensive coordinator there in 2002-03.

 

Originally published on January 19, 2007

[jerseygiantfan]

Gilbride & Giants

are thinking deep

 

 

 

BY RALPH VACCHIANO

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

 

 

Kevin Gilbride

 

 

Kevin Gilbride has seen enough of Eli Manning in three seasons as his quarterbacks coach to come to this decision:

In 2007, he's going to let Manning air it out.

 

That's what he promised yesterday when he was officially introduced as the Giants' new offensive coordinator. Gilbride was not happy with the results of the Giants' downfield passing attack under former offensive coordinator John Hufnagel. And he said there's too much big-play potential on the Giants' offense to let it all go to waste.

 

"I certainly think that was a component that was missing this year," Gilbride said. "If you look at our total yardage per game and our yardage per attempt, we were significantly down. When you're running the ball as well as we have run it, it's going to give you some opportunities. I'm not so sure we took advantage of all those opportunities. We have to have a willingness to go down the field."

 

The Giants averaged 325.9 yards per game this season (14th in the NFL), and 191.1 yards passing (19th). But they only had 32 passing plays of more than 20 yards and only 13 of more than 30 yards - one fewer than they had with their rushing attack. That was a big reason why Gilbride replaced Hufnagel as the play-caller on Christmas morning.

 

In two games with Gilbride in command, the Giants averaged 27 points and 330 yards, thanks in large part to a 234-yard game in the regular-season finale by Tiki Barber. Tom Coughlin was so pleased with the results he didn't even interview Gilbride before handing him the same job he held for Coughlin's Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995 and '96.

 

They both are in agreement on the direction they want the offense to take.

 

"I expect the ball to go down the field more than it did this year," said Coughlin. "We didn't score enough points (and) our big-play production was not what it was a year ago. Those two things have to come back up."

 

 

 

PASSING TORCH: Gilbride said the Giants are in no rush to hire a new quarterbacks coach. Two possibilities are former Giants quarterback Jason Garrett, who was the QBs coach in Miami last year, and Buffalo's offensive quality control coach Alex Van Pelt, who played for the Bills when Gilbride was the offensive coordinator there in 2002-03.

 

Originally published on January 19, 2007

[jerseygiantfan]

NFL finally changing face of the league

 

 

 

BY RALPH VACCHIANO

 

 

Jerry Reese

 

 

When Doug Williams was an NFL rookie 29 years ago, there were no African-American head coaches and very few African-American assistants. Had he looked into the league's front offices, he would've seen those were all white, too.

From such inequitable beginnings, some will never believe change is coming fast enough. That is why when Jerry Reese was hired last week as the Giants' first African-American general manager, it was equally hailed as a welcome move by a conservative franchise, and lamented because there are still only three black GMs in the league. For the men most responsible for the change, however, any signs of progress are good. They've seen proof that the playing field is evening out - the continuing increase in African-Americans in NFL power positions is a sign the NFL's diversity plan actually works.

 

"When we started this in '02 there was only one African-American in a top executive position. Now there are six," says Cyrus Mehri, counsel for the Fritz Pollard Alliance and co-author of a damning, 2002 minority hiring report that forced the NFL to change its hiring rules. "I think going from one to six in a few years is a tremendous amount of progress.

 

"And there are currently five clubs that have a minority head coach, and those numbers could go up. We could go into the '07 season with 11 or 12 teams with someone who has a minority background who's either a top-ranking person on the field or in the front office."

 

That may not be enough, considering there are 32 NFL teams and more than 60% of NFL players are black. But in 2002, when Mehri and the late Johnnie Cochran issued their startling report, "Black Coaches in the National Football League: Superior Performance, Inferior Opportunities," there was no sign that change was coming. Their Exhibit A was Marvin Lewis, one of the league's most successful defensive coordinators, who kept getting passed over for head coaching jobs while less successful white coaches were recycled.

 

They tried to break that cycle without Affirmative Action hiring quotas. They worked with the NFL to craft the "Rooney Rule" that only required teams to interview at least one minority candidate for every job.

 

Their plan was to break down the old (white) boys' network by forcing teams to consider qualified candidates they hadn't thought about before.

 

"I don't know if the point was to force them - though it seems like that's what it comes to," said Williams, the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl and now a personnel executive with the Buccaneers. "It was to let them know that there are some people out there and we would hope that you would want to talk to them."

 

Reese isn't a product of that initiative. He was a rising star in the Giants' organization long before the Rooney Rule, or the FPA, an organization dedicated to promoting NFL diversity. But there are other signs that the plan is working, like the quick rise of Mike Tomlin - a previously unknown 34-year-old with one year's experience as a defensive coordinator who is one of the hottest coaching candidates in the NFL. Fred Nance, an African-American lawyer, was also one of five finalists for the NFL commissioner job last year.

 

There should be more than six black top executives in the NFL and more than five black head coaches, but this shouldn't be only about numbers.

 

"We don't measure it by any particular numbers as much as making sure that in every opening there's some kind of open and fair competition," Mehri said.

 

That's something the NFL seems to finally be getting right

[lemmiwinks]

 

The Giants, whose championship hopes this season collapsed when their defense collapsed, turned to their bitter rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, for a new defensive coordinator.

 

Steve Spagnuolo, the Eagles’ linebackers coach and a defensive assistant for the team for eight years, was hired yesterday to replace the fired Tim Lewis.

 

In a teleconference yesterday, Coach Tom Coughlin said he had researched many potential successors but had interviewed only Spagnuolo.

 

Coughlin spoke from Mobile, Ala., where he is monitoring daily practice sessions for the Senior Bowl. He said he was impressed by Spagnuolo’s achievements with the Eagles.

 

“I was looking for a guy who had an opportunity to work with outstanding people in the league,” Coughlin said, “not just an aggressive system, because the system here has been aggressive. It is a plus that he knows our division, and is also a plus that he comes from a program that has Andy Reid as a head coach and Jim Johnson as a defensive coordinator.”

 

Spagnuolo, 47, played wide receiver at Springfield (Mass.) College. He graduated in 1981 and started his coaching career a year later.

 

He joined the Eagles in 1999 as a defensive assistant/quality control coach.

[lemmiwinks]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eagles assistant bolts Reid's nest Linebackers coach Steve Spagnuolo has moved on. He's now the Giants' defensive coordinatior.

By Bob Brookover

Inquirer Staff Writer

A byproduct of winning in the NFL has always been losing the people who helped you win.

 

Eagles coach Andy Reid has learned to live with that fact, and he did so again yesterday when linebackers coach Steve Spagnuolo left Philadelphia to take the job of defensive coordinator with the NFC East rival New York Giants.

 

Spagnuolo, 47, had worked with the Eagles since Reid took over as head coach in 1999. He initially held the title of defensive assistant, then was in charge of the defensive backs from 2001 to '03 before becoming the linebackers coach in 2004 after Ron Rivera left to become the defensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears. He replaces Tim Lewis, who was fired as the Giants' defensive coordinator shortly after New York's playoff loss to the Eagles on Jan. 7.

 

After thanking Giants head coach Tom Coughlin for giving him the chance to be a defensive coordinator, Spagnuolo talked extensively about leaving the Eagles.

 

"I want to thank publicly Andy Reid, [Jeffrey] Lurie, Joe Banner and Jim Johnson," Spagnuolo said during a conference call. "That is one class, great organization. I'll miss them all."

 

Spagnuolo is the third assistant coach to leave Reid's staff to become an NFL coordinator with another team. The Eagles also lost Dave Toub, who became the Bears' special-teams coordinator in 2004.

 

Reid lost offensive coordinator Brad Childress last off-season when he became the Minnesota Vikings' head coach. Childress could be courting Eagles secondary coach Sean McDermott to be his defensive coordinator. Mike Tomlin spent last season as the Vikings' defensive coordinator but was named the head coach of the Steelers yesterday.

 

The Giants ranked 25th in yards allowed and 24th in points allowed this season, so Spagnuolo has his work cut out for him.

 

"When you're in the business I'm in, you aspire to be in certain positions, and coordinator was one that I wanted," Spagnuolo said. "There's only 32 of them in this league."

 

Spagnuolo said he had an emotional conversation with Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter yesterday. "I was touched by it, I can tell you that," he said.

 

Reid, who is at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., this week, traditionally moves quickly when he loses a member of his staff. One in-house candidate is Mike Reed, a Wilmington native who has spent the last four seasons as a defensive assistant and quality control coach. He has assisted Spagnuolo in working with the Eagles' linebackers

[lemmiwinks]

Plucking Eagles' Spagnuolo

BY ARTHUR STAPLE

 

 

Tom Coughlin needed to interview only one candidate to find his new defensive coordinator: Steve Spagnuolo.

 

Now Coughlin hopes the longtime Eagles defensive position coach can bring some of the aggressiveness and zeal from the system run by Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid and defensive coordinator Jim Johnson to a Giants defense that was never healthy and underperformed the past two seasons.

 

 

 

 

 

"You guys have seen the Giants-Eagles games the last few years. That's the bulk of what I can bring, what I do," Spagnuolo said yesterday. "What I know about [the Giants' personnel] is real exciting."

 

Tim Lewis, whom Coughlin fired after three seasons as defensive coordinator and who was hired as secondary coach for Carolina last week, had lots of weapons for an aggressive defense at his disposal, but the Giants never found a consistent way to attack opposing quarterbacks.

 

Lewis took the fall for numerous injuries. The Giants lost six defensive starters to injury last season, including 2005 Pro Bowl ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora.

 

Spagnuolo, 46, who has coached the defensive backs and linebackers in his eight seasons with the Eagles, knows how to get to a quarterback. He also helped turn Jeremiah Trotter into a perennial Pro Bowler and got good performances out of former Giant Dhani Jones and little-known Omar Gaither. His intimate knowledge of the Eagles doesn't hurt, either.

 

"It was just such an attractive commodity to have someone who's worked with guys like Andy Reid and Jim Johnson," Coughlin said. "His philosophy is an aggressive philosophy."

 

That is music to the ears of a couple of Giants defensive players.

 

"We don't want a passive coordinator with the type of players we have," said LaVar Arrington, who added that the rehab on his torn Achilles tendon is ahead of schedule. "If [spagnuolo] is coming in with that Eagles style, that get-after-it style, that's a good thing for us."

 

Coughlin, who arrived in Mobile, Ala., yesterday for Senior Bowl practices, said he will retain all of the defensive assistants.