lemmiwinks Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Team Report: Inside Slant The Giants struck quickly in free agency to overhaul their defensive secondary, which lost safeties Brent Alexander (released) and Shaun Williams (free agent, signed with Carolina)) and figures to lose cornerbacks Will Allen (free agent) and Will Peterson (back injury concerns). The Giants struck quickly in free agency to overhaul their defensive secondary, which lost safeties Brent Alexander (released) and Shaun Williams (free agent, signed with Carolina)) and figures to lose cornerbacks Will Allen (free agent) and Will Peterson (back injury concerns). Former Miami cornerback Sam Madison was the first to agree to terms, and is expected to start opposite second-year corner Corey Webster. R.W. McQuarters, a veteran most recently with Detroit, will be expected to be the third corner if he doesn't beat out Webster for a starting job. "Madison and McQuarters are veteran corners who have instantly upgraded our secondary," GM Ernie Accorsi said. "The two young signees, Harris and Bell, will be in the mix with the young corners we already have to give us a good mix back there. And McQuarters is also a premier returner, which gives us depth at that critical position. We wanted to upgrade our secondary in free agency so we can go into the draft with an open mind." To complete the overhaul, veteran free safety Will Demps was signed as an unrestricted free agent from Baltimore. "The signing of Will Demps should complete the UFA phase of our rebuilding the defensive secondary," Accorsi said. "This is a four-year starter on a very competitive defensive team in Baltimore. He's very athletic and can make plays." And to provide depth, the Giants signed cornerback Jason Bell away from Houston and safety Quentin Harris away from Arizona. "In Jason Bell you have a young corner who has played in the dime situations, who has been an outstanding special teams player, who is very anxious to compete and play in this system," coach Tom Coughlin said. "In Quentin Harris you have a proven special teams performer who has had multiple responsibilities, including personal protector to prove his reliability, and who has also seen action as a corner and as a safety. So, in these players you have versatility, you have got veterans, you have got guys that have played in multiple roles and are looking forward to an opportunity to be New York Giants and to compete for positions in the secondary." --The Giants' current top-three offseason needs: For a team that finished 11-5 and took home the NFC East Division championship, there are more needs than expected. But they aren't all serious; the most major need is to get the injured players back and healthy. But for more tangible needs: 1. Linebacker: The Giants must have an outside linebacker with youth and flair, and if Reggie Torbor can't do it on the strong side (this will be his third shot) they will have to sign one in free agency or get extraordinarily lucky in the draft. Should they wind up with Texas-El Paso linebacker Thomas Howard, the search for one of the outside positions might be at an end. But they need another one, especially if weak-side linebacker Nick Greisen departs via free agency. They're looking at a few veterans, including Julius Peterson of San Francisco. 2. Defensive tackle: With Kendrick Clancy off to Arizona, the Giants need to bolster the interior of their line. But thus far through free agency they have been unable to fill the void. 3. Running back: This might sound odd when you consider Tiki Barber gained 1,860 yards (10 short of tying Seattle's Shaun Alexander for the NFL rushing championship) but there is almost nothing behind him and if he is injured for any length of time, it could be a disaster. Rookie Brandon Jacobs looked spectacular early but soon ran head-first into a learning problem with the playbook. Reserves Michael Cloud and Derrick Ward are ordinary on very good days. But there aren't that many outstanding running backs past the first round, and as for free agents, most of the worthwhile veterans have already found new homes. DRAFT SCOUT SKINNY It is not out of the realm of possibility that the Giants might move up in the first round if they see someone they really like suddenly become available. They are thinking linebacker and cornerback, probably in that order after bringing in free agent corner Sam Madison. They also appear to be in the hunt for free agent linebacker LaVar Arrington. Failing to land one or both, they'll have to deal with the available draft product, which puts them back in the cornerback-linebacker, linebacker-cornerback situation. It would be dangerous to ignore the need at two other positions -- offensive tackle and running back. There is no chance that the top tackle, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, will be available, not unless they engineer another blockbuster Draft Day trade (see: 2004, Eli Manning-San Diego), but either Winston Justice of Southern Cal and Eric Winston of Miami (Fla.) could start to slip. The running back field isn't very full, and it wouldn't make sense for the Giants to attempt to move up to get one. But one is definitely needed, with such as Brandon Jacobs, Michael Cloud and Derrick Ward standing -- not very firmly -- behind superstar Tiki Barber . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420 Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Jacobs had a problem learning the playbook? Is that why he only came in on GL situations? Why does this guy know this and no one else I know of know it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmiwinks Posted March 16, 2006 Author Share Posted March 16, 2006 Jacobs had a problem learning the playbook? Is that why he only came in on GL situations? Why does this guy know this and no one else I know of know it? I don't know...I think half of these guys just make shit up.....In another article Fox Sports said we will take a WR in the first...Here WR isn't even a concern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Carbo Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Jacobs had a problem learning the playbook? Is that why he only came in on GL situations? Why does this guy know this and no one else I know of know it? I knew it. And I know many other things, also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420 Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 I knew it. And I know many other things, also. Reading this doesn't count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmiwinks Posted March 16, 2006 Author Share Posted March 16, 2006 I knew it. And I know many other things, also. yawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fringe Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Jacobs had a problem learning the playbook? Is that why he only came in on GL situations? Why does this guy know this and no one else I know of know it? Fox sports just pulls things out of their ass sometimes. This 'insider' should know its Julian Peterson, not Julius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now