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Pay 'em, Trade 'em, Ignore 'em: The NFL game

by Alex Marvez

 

 

Updated: June 2, 2008, 6:56 PM EST 251 comments

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It's a game no NFL team wants to play.

 

Pay 'em. Trade 'em. Or Ignore 'em.

 

By skipping "voluntary" off-season workouts, some big-name veterans are doing one of two things: Expressing unhappiness with their current contracts or trying to force their way out, especially if a new deal or better opportunity is awaiting elsewhere.

 

There are vets with legitimate gripes about being underpaid in a market where salaries have skyrocketed in recent seasons. Others are wasting their time.

 

Here is some advice on how 15 disgruntled players should be handled in this round of Pay 'em, Trade 'em or Ignore 'em. Note: This list only includes players already under contract, not those who have yet to sign franchise or restricted free-agent tenders.

 

Pay 'em

 

Buffalo left tackle Jason Peters: Because he was undrafted, Peters never received a lucrative rookie contract. The landscape has changed drastically since Peters signed a five-year, $15 million extension in 2006. He is now only Buffalo's third-highest paid lineman behind guard Derrick Dockery and right tackle Langston Walker. And while a new contract must be worked out with wide receiver Lee Evans, the Bills reportedly have $27 million in salary cap space available. That's plenty of room to give a 26-year-old coming off his first Pro Bowl selection a well-deserved raise.

 

New Orleans defensive end Will Smith: The Saints appeared ready to let Smith leave via free agency in 2009 when signing Charles Grant to a seven-year, $63 million contract and adding Bobby McCray in free agency. But Grant's NFL future is in question after he was recently indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges from an altercation at a Georgia nightclub. Even if Grant is ultimately cleared, Smith (17.5 sacks and 115 tackles the past two seasons) might be the better player.

 

Tampa Bay running back Earnest Graham: With a 2008 salary of $605,000, Graham is the NFL's most underpaid starting running back besides Green Bay's Ryan Grant. Graham has never received a big NFL payday because he signed with the Bucs as a college free agent. Similarities can be drawn between Graham and Oakland's Justin Fargas, another 28-year-old who didn't emerge as a quality starter until last season. Oakland gave Fargas a three-year, $12 million contract in February that included $6 million guaranteed. That sounds about right for Graham, especially with Tampa Bay having ample cap room available.

 

Cincinnati wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh: The antics — both good and bad — of Chad Johnson and Chris Henry have overshadowed Houshmandzadeh's impressive production the past four seasons. Although he turns 31 in September, Houshmandzadeh is set to become one of the NFL's hottest free agents in 2009. The Bengals drafted three wide receivers but there are no guarantees those players will have NFL success. In fact, none of the six wideouts Cincinnati has chosen since Houshmandzadeh (2001 seventh round) remain on the roster. The Bengals already have parted ways with Henry and would be wise to do the same with Johnson (see below). That makes keeping Houshmandzadeh even more important for quarterback Carson Palmer.

 

Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin: In 2005, the Cardinals gave Boldin a four-year, $22.7 million extension after just his second NFL season. That means Boldin is under contract through 2010. Arizona also recently made a massive investment in fellow wideout Larry Fitzgerald with a four-year, $40 million deal. Boldin, though, is considered a team leader who already has taken third-round pick Early Doucet under his wing. Re-doing his contract — which the Cardinals tried doing last December, according to the Arizona Republic — would again show how much the franchise values Boldin. Boldin's problem is that extensions for other Cardinals like linebacker Karlos Dansby and safety Adrian Wilson may be more pressing priorities. If a new deal can't be worked out, expect the Cardinals to strongly consider trading Boldin in the 2009 off-season.

Trade 'em

 

Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Johnson: Cincinnati's refusal to deal Johnson earlier this off-season was understandable. The Bengals didn't want to take a major cap hit ($8 million), lose one of the NFL's five best wideouts and set a precedent where disenfranchised players can talk their way off the roster. But unless Johnson and coach Marvin Lewis can settle their differences by training camp, Johnson just isn't worth the headache.

 

Miami defensive end Jason Taylor: The Dolphins are actively trying to move Taylor, whose decision to skip off-season workouts for "Dancing With the Stars" infuriated Miami's Bill Parcells-led regime. Because of his age (34 in September) and questionable long-term commitment to football, don't expect the Dolphins to receive more than a third-round pick as compensation.

 

New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey: Since the Giants thrived with him out of the lineup last season, Shockey has shown no public indication he wants to remain in New York. Shockey has skipped the team's off-season workout program as well as Super Bowl celebrations. Shockey is arguably the NFL's best all-around tight end when healthy, which is the main reason why Giants general manager Jerry Reese seems reticent to deal him. But if second-year tight end Kevin Boss shows he's ready for a bigger workload, Reese should feel better about sending Shockey elsewhere.

 

New York Jets tight end Chris Baker: The selection of first-round tight end Dustin Keller and signing of free-agent Bubba Franks make Baker expendable. Coming off a 41-catch campaign, Baker's demands for a new deal seem silly. But he also is the third Jets player to say management failed to follow through on promises to re-work their contract. That could lead to mistrust in the team's locker room.

 

Atlanta wide receiver Joe Horn: With the Falcons building a core of promising young wideouts, Horn realized he has become expendable and asked for a trade. Horn, though, would almost certainly have to take a pay cut from his $2.5 million salary for a deal to get completed. Horn is 36 and coming off a 27-catch campaign. Dallas and Tennessee are two teams that Horn would have an interest in joining.

 

Ignore 'em

 

Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher: As if trying to fix a lousy offense wasn't giving Bears brass enough of a headache, the heart and soul of Chicago's defense is unhappy with his contract situation. Urlacher, though, already is well compensated as part of a nine-year, $57 million deal he signed in 2003. The Chicago Tribune also reported that Urlacher recently declined a one-year extension that included $5 million guaranteed. With neck and back issues greatly limiting his effectiveness in 2007, Chicago's reticence in giving Urlacher a huge raise is understandable. Both sides should return to the negotiating table in 2009 should Urlacher rebound from a sub-par season.

 

Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow: How quickly they forget. When Winslow was forced to miss the 2005 season following a motorcycle accident, the Browns didn't try to recoup part of the $10 million in bonuses paid through his rookie contract. So how does Winslow show his appreciation? By skipping off-season workouts hoping for an extension that will yield more than the $13.5 million he is set to earn over the next three seasons. Don't expect the Browns to blink, especially after doling out so many other big-money contracts earlier this off-season.

 

Seattle wide receiver Bobby Engram: Coming off a 94-catch season, Engram is underpaid with a $1.75 million salary in 2008. But he's also 35, which doesn't make Engram a good candidate for a long-term deal. One solution for Seattle could be giving Engram a modest bump in 2008 base salary with the promise of extension talks in the 2009 off-season.

 

Arizona defensive end Darnell Dockett: He already wants a new contract less than two seasons after signing a five-year, $22 million extension. Good luck — especially after recording just one sack in the final eight games of 2007.

 

San Diego wide receiver Kassim Osgood: Upset with being used exclusively as a special teams player, Osgood is skipping workouts to attend speed camp and hone his skills at wide receiver. While his work ethic is commendable, the reality is that Osgood hasn't shown much promise at the position. Otherwise, San Diego wouldn't have used a 2007 first-round pick on Craig "Buster" Davis or made a mid-season trade with Miami for Chris Chambers. Osgood, a two-time Pro Bowl special teams selection, will assuredly be playing elsewhere in 2009.

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June 3, 2008

Eli & Amani rekindle their chemistry

 

The defending champs took the field today for only the third time since the Super Bowl, but already Eli Manning and Amani Toomer appeared to be in midseason form.

 

OK, it’s early and the drills were non-contact - as in no pass rush in Manning’s face - but he and Toomer put on quite a show. They connected on a 50-yard bomb that Manning dropped right between CB Corey Webster’s hands (it’s possible he even tipped it) and into the waiting arms of Toomer. A few plays later, he threw a pinpoint pass over another defender, allowing Toomer to make a one-handed catch.

 

They even tried to connect on a flea-flicker, and though Manning’s throw was right on the money again, rookie Kenny Phillips was able to break it up.

 

All that is significant because a year ago, Toomer couldn’t participate in the OTAs because he was still rehabbing his injured knee. “I think that set me back last year,” Toomer said. “I think this year I’ll be a lot better off.”

 

By the way, in case you were wondering, Toomer said he never considered retiring after the Giants won the Super Bowl, even though he’s 33 years old.

 

Why not?

 

“Because you know what? It always could be better,” he said. “I felt like last year, for the first part of the season, I was - I wouldn’t say disappointed, but I felt like I didn’t have the season I wanted to have last year at the beginning of the year. Towards the end of the season I started coming around a little bit. But I feel like I need to put together a whole complete season.”

 

Here are a few more tidbits from today’s OTA:

 

• Jeremy Shockey, Plaxico Burress, Osi Umenyiora, Antonio Pierce and Michael Strahan did not attend. David Tyree did not participate, though he was inside Giants Stadium doing rehab work for his knee. Pierce apparently is still on his honeymoon.

 

• Tyree said his knee feels good and his rehab is right on schedule. He expects to be ready for the start of training camp (players report on July 24, the first practice is July 25), though he’s likely to be limited at the start. He’s not on crutches anymore, so that’s a good sign.

 

• RB Derrick Ward said he’s 90-95% healed from his broken fibula and isn’t limited at all in what he can do on the field. He also said if the Giants need motivation in their quest to repeat as champions this season, all they have to do is look at him, LB Mathias Kiwanuka, and Shockey - three guys who earned a ring, but didn’t play in the big game. “We got there and won our ring, but we weren’t part of it,” Ward said. “We want the chance to play in one and showcase what we have.”

 

• Kiwanuka said he’s getting closer to 100% too and didn’t seem limited on the field. He said he’s “light years ahead of where I was at this time last year” in terms of learning to play linebacker. And if he has to switch back to defensive end if Strahan retires? No big deal, he said. “I’m not worried,” he said. “I’ve done both at this point. I’m comfortable playing linebacker, but if I have to I can switch back and forth between the two.”

 

• It turns out there’s a reason why there is no blue in the Giants’ Super Bowl ring. It’s an homage to their success on the road - an all-white gold ring to match their all-white road uniforms. They considered adding a little red to the ring, according to Toomer, but that didn’t make sense since they’re “Big Blue,” so they went with the all-white look instead.

 

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Posted: 06/02/2008

Fans rank teams from No. 1 to 32

NFL.com

 

 

We asked NFL fans to rank all 32 teams for the 2008 season, and the fans came through in big numbers. More than 200,000 of readers cast ballots and here are the results:

 

Rank Team 2007* Comment

1. New England Patriots 18-1 Core of team returns to avenge Super Bowl loss after perfect regular season.

2. Indianapolis Colts 13-4 Core of Super Bowl XLI team is still intact. Dwight Freeney should be ready for season.

3. Dallas Cowboys 13-4 Talented squad only got better during offseason with Pacman Jones, Zach Thomas.

4. New York Giants 14-6 Competition in NFC East should be tough as Super Bowl champs look to go back-to-back.

5. San Diego Chargers 13-6 One step away from Super Sunday after second consecutive AFC West title in 2007.

6. Jacksonville Jaguars 12-6 Is this the year an AFC South team finally knocks the Colts off their perch atop division?

7. Pittsburgh Steelers 10-7 Ben Roethlisberger returns for encore of great season with offensive help added in draft.

8. Green Bay Packers 14-4 Face first season since 1991 without Brett Favre on roster. Is it Aaron Rodgers time?

9. Cleveland Browns 10-6 Offseason additions could give Browns extra edge to finally reach playoffs.

10. Minnesota Vikings 8-8 Team is already a vogue pick to rise to replace Packers as top team in NFC North.

11. Philadelphia Eagles 8-8 Keeping Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook healthy will be key to success in 2008.

12. Seattle Seahawks 11-7 Enter another season as the team to beat in NFC West despite new rushing attack.

13. New Orleans Saints 7-9 Saints aiming to rebound after disappointing follow-up effort to NFC title game appearance.

14. Tennessee Titans 10-7 Coming off first winning season since 2003. Should compete for AFC South supremacy.

15. Washington Redskins 9-8 First-year coach Jim Zorn faces tough task of returning Redskins to playoffs.

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-8 Warrick Dunn's return could help spark a repeat performance as NFC South winners.

17. Denver Broncos 7-9 Broncos remain a far cry from the perennial playoff contenders of years past.

18. Carolina Panthers 7-9 Jake Delhomme's health and new receivers will be closely watched in training camp.

19. Chicago Bears 7-9 Team's fate could hinge significantly on which quarterback lines up behind center.

20. Baltimore Ravens 5-11 Unique three-way competition at quarterback will determine this team's season.

21. Cincinnati Bengals 7-9 Division championship of 2005 a distant memory after back-to-back playoff misses.

22. Arizona Cardinals 8-8 Is this finally the year the Cardinals get over that hump for a run at the playoffs?

23. Buffalo Bills 7-9 Will offseason moves be enough to make Buffalo a playoff contender?

24. Houston Texans 8-8 Improving Texans face daunting task contending in difficult AFC South.

25. Detroit Lions 7-9 Bad news for Jon Kitna: Lions' last 10-win season was 13 years ago.

26. New York Jets 4-12 Major offseason overhaul didn't include answering the team's questions at quarterback.

27. St. Louis Rams 3-13 Rams could significantly improve after injuries wrecked 2007 season.

28. Kansas City Chiefs 4-12 The difficult decision to rebuild was made in Kansas City during the offseason.

29. San Francisco 49ers 5-11 Can Mike Martz, plus new acquisitions, help in QB Alex Smith's progression?

30. Oakland Raiders 4-12 Raiders fans hope rookie Darren McFadden has the same impact as Adrian Peterson.

31. Atlanta Falcons 4-12 Falcons banking on rookie Matt Ryan to be the long-term answer at quarterback.

32. Miami Dolphins 1-15 Bill Parcells won't accept losing for long. Healthy Ronnie Brown returns for new-look offense.

* 2007 record includes playoff games

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Giants to see Jeremy Shockey soon

 

BY RALPH VACCHIANO

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

 

After spending the offseason telling people how much he wanted out of New York, Jeremy Shockey is finally about to return.

 

The enigmatic tight end is expected to participate in the Giants' mandatory mini-camp next week, according to a team source. He is due in the New York area later this week for a promotional appearance on Saturday afternoon.

 

According to an advertisement on the Internet, Shockey is scheduled to appear at the Powerade Pro Challenge at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, although his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, could not be reached to confirm his client's plans. If Shockey shows up, it will be his first public appearance since he was stuck watching Super Bowl XLII from a luxury box because of his broken leg.

 

Since then, Shockey has told numerous friends that he was frustrated with his role and perception in New York and he had his agent officially request a trade. The Giants considered granting his request and weighed a serious offer from the New Orleans Saints right up until the April draft, before deciding second- and fifth-round picks weren't enough.

 

In the six weeks since, various members of the Giants' organization have left open the possibility that Shockey could be traded by saying that he is only the team's starting tight end "right now."

 

However, many teammates and coaches and a few members of the Giants' front office have contacted the 27-year-old Shockey since the draft to let him know he is wanted and needed. Despite what he considers to be a limited role in the Giants' passing attack, Shockey had 57 catches for 619 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games before breaking his leg and missing the Giants' entire championship run.

 

Shockey has been rehabbing in Miami away from the team. The Giants have been told his recovery is going well.

 

Shockey has not spoken to the media since his season ended on Dec. 16 and he did not attend the Giants' victory parade, their appearance at the White House, or the Super Bowl ring ceremony in Manhattan last week.

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June 5, 2008

If Tyree's healthy, Giant loyalty will help keep him around

 

It’s not a stretch to say that if it wasn’t for David Tyree and his miraculous, one-handed, helmet-aided catch, the New England Patriots might be Super Bowl champions right now. He’s earned a special place forever in the hearts of Giants fans everywhere.

 

But should that guarantee him a spot on the 2008 team?

 

It’s an interesting question and one that popped up this week when Tyree was discussing his rehabilitation from offseason knee surgery. In case you didn’t see it, I wrote about it in the Daily News today.

 

If it wasn’t for The Catch (or Catch 42 as it’s known around here), there’s a pretty good chance Tyree’s roster spot would be in jeopardy just based on the numbers. The Giants already have a top three at receiver in Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and Steve Smith. They’re not about to cut newly drafted Mario Manningham, obviously, and I’m pretty sure they’re not giving up on Sinorice Moss just two seasons into his career.

 

So that’s five receivers right there, plus they’ll likely keep Dominek Hixon as a sixth because, if nothing else, he’s turned out to be an excellent kick returner. That leaves Tyree battling for a seventh spot, perhaps with Michael Jennings and a promising undrafted free agent in D.J. Hall. And that’s if the Giants keep seven on the active roster. There’s almost no chance they’d keep eight.

 

Tyree is helped by the fact that he’s still a pretty good special teamer, even if he’s fallen off a little from his Pro Bowl level. But he’s hurt by the fact that he had arthroscopic surgery on his knee two months ago and his status for the summer is uncertain at best. It’s possible that could be his ticket to the physically unable to perform list, which potentially could keep him out until at least Week 6. If nothing else, landing on PUP would at least temporarily save his NFL job.

 

But how much will The Catch factor in? If they don’t put him on PUP, could the Giants really cut him, just months after he saved their championship? Wouldn’t that be heartless and mean, or would it just be a reality of the business of football? Would the Giants - sometimes loyal to a fault to their players - really do something like that? Or should they factor out his status as a Super Bowl hero if they believe cutting him was in the best interests of the team?

 

Personally, I don’t think they’ll cut him. I think his value as a special teamer, combined with his Super Bowl hero status will be enough to convince them to keep him around - although I do sense that PUP is a possibility, depending on how his rehab goes. But I’m curious to know what you think. (Plus, I wanted to change the subject. I’m tiring of the Shockey debate).

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After Super Bowl grab, David Tyree is hoping to hang on with Giants

 

BY RALPH VACCHIANO

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

 

 

 

David Tyree forever earned a special place in Giants history with his remarkable catch on the game-winning drive of Super Bowl XLII. But he knows that a piece of the past is all he really earned.

 

The future for the 28-year-old is much less certain, especially since he is rehabbing an injured right knee. The Giants are overloaded at receiver, which could put Tyree's roster spot in jeopardy if he suffers any setbacks.

 

Still, the Super Bowl hero insists he is not worried.

 

"It's very simple. I have no reason to worry," Tyree said. "I've been blessed enough to prove myself when given the opportunity. That's all I can do."

 

Of course, there is no guarantee Tyree will get that opportunity this summer. Even though he ended last season as the fourth receiver on the depth chart, he will probably be sixth when camp opens, behind Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Steve Smith, rookie Mario Manningham and maybe even Sinorice Moss. The Giants also have a promising undrafted rookie free agent in D.J. Hall, and a receiver/kick returner in Domenik Hixon cluttering the receiver position even more.

 

Tyree still has value as a Pro Bowl special teamer, and it's hard to imagine the Giants cutting him a few months after his one-handed, helmet-aided, 32-yard catch helped them win a championship. But due to Tyree's injured knee, which required arthroscopic surgery in mid-April after it locked up on him during a workout, it's possible he could begin the season on the physically unable to perform list, which would keep him out of action for at least the first six weeks.

 

And if that happens, all bets on Tyree's future with the Giants would suddenly be off.

 

"You look at this game for what it is," Tyree said. "They're going to make decisions based on what they feel is best for the football team. Whether I'm on the roster, off the roster, the fifth receiver or the third receiver, they're going to make decisions based on what's best for the team. My job is to go out there and make the plays when I'm given the opportunity. When you look back at what I've done when given the opportunity, I've showed up. I can't do any more than that."

 

And if he doesn't get that chance, Tyree wouldn't leave with any regrets.

 

"I tell people this time and time again: If I never got a chance to play this game again I'd be fulfilled," he said. "I've been to a Pro Bowl. I've been to a Super Bowl. I made a catch I never would've dreamed of catching. I never really aspired to be at this level, and not many people gave me a chance to be at this level anyway. I look at the wealth of accomplishments the Lord has put before my side. Could I walk away from this game and be upset? No. I'd be perfectly content.

 

"But my aim is not to stop right now. My aim is I still feel like there's a lot more to prove, a lot more to go out and accomplish."

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Shockey breaks post-Super Bowl silence

by STEVE SERBY, New York Post

Updated: June 8, 2008, 11:48 AM EST 55 comments

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Jeremy Shockey broke his post-Super Bowl silence yesterday.

 

"Everybody said that I agreed to get traded and that I would welcome a trade or that I'm unhappy. . . . But you can't find one article that had my direct quote, except from an anonymous source or from this person or from that person, OK?" Shockey was saying yesterday at the POWERade Pro Challenge for children and heat-stricken media at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

 

 

That was the good news.

 

It doesn't mean Shockey and the Giants don't desperately need to sit down and clear the air.

 

His broken leg isn't 100 percent yet and his broken relationship with some member or members of the front office requires immediate healing.

 

To wit: why was he watching the Giants shock the Patriots from a skybox?

 

"And the truth is, I went to the Super Bowl game to go watch my team play; the Giants wouldn't let me sit on the sidelines with my teammates - I was forced to sit up in a box," Shockey said.

 

I said to Shockey: "And that ticked you off."

 

"Words can't explain," he said.

 

I asked him: "What is your relationship with the front office right now?"

 

"That's between the management and myself," Shockey said.

 

I asked him: "Do you want to and expect to play for the Giants this year?"

 

"Tough questions," he began. "I'm not the Giants front office, because they feel like they have to tell the world about things that happened . . . when it's a situation like this that's so severe, you don't leak it in the media. I'm not ever going to be a leak, its a team. But they feel like they're obligated to put their feelings in the media, which really hurt my family and myself, with the things I've done for them."

 

Shockey said he had texted yesterday morning with co-owner Steve Tisch.

 

"I consider him a father figure to me - and he would never betray me, like some other people that are there," Shockey said.

 

I asked him: "Would you welcome a trade?"

 

"I'm not saying that - no comment," Shockey said. "Whatever's happened between the Giants and myself is gonna stick between the Giants and myself."

 

I asked him: "Will you be at minicamp?"

 

"I plan on fulfilling my contractual obligation but the No. 1 thing that I'm going there for is to be with my teammates (who) I miss so much," he said.

 

When he arrived, wearing a black POWERade T-shirt and shorts, he had offered a statement: "I'm here for POWERade, fellas, and the statement I would like to make about the Giants and the speculation in the offseason is that whatever happens between the upper management, the lower management, the owners, any management, is gonna stay between my representation and them. Unlike the Giants, I'm gonna be quiet. They've released multiple things about myself and if you look back into the media, there's always a source. Well I'd like to know who the source is, and we'll go over here and we'll deal it out ourselves because I haven't said one negative thing towards the Giants."

 

At the event, he instructed youngsters how to catch a football. "Concentrate . . . it's all in your eyes!" He eagerly helped a young child off with the Jets jersey he was wearing: "Take your shirt off, take your shirt off!" He stopped and posed for pictures and signed a football for Jake Weingarten, my seven-year-old nephew.

 

Antonio Pierce reiterated yesterday that the Giants would be fools to trade Shockey. Yes they would. They need to make him wanted again. It was hell for him watching that magical run on crutches from afar. Their best chance to repeat is with a happy, healthy Shockey. They are a better team with him. Time for a group hug.

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Super distractions everywhere for Giants

by JAY GREENBERG, New York Post

Updated: June 12, 2008, 4:03 PM EST 21 comments

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If Osi Umenyiora, Chris Snee and Brandon Jacobs want new contracts, they will have to get in line with Plaxico Burress.

But if it is any consolation to general manager Jerry Reese, Burress's announcement yesterday that he was not on the field for "business reasons" moved him ahead of Jeremy Shockey in the growing line of distractions for the Super Bowl champions. From the moment Tom Coughlin mounted the stand to address a double-the-normal-sized media turnout for a first day of mandatory mini-camp, a more immediate preoccupation than Shockey was something the Giants clearly could use.

 

"He is here," said the coach, after first thanking the first questioner for not leading off with Shockey, then snickering at the first Shockey question.

 

"That will be between Shockey and I," said the coach, when asked for the exact location on the premises of the up-tight end, since he was not on the field.

 

The succession of terse one-sentence player answers to Shockey questions seemed to indicate that the Giants had been briefed to keep such answers brief, a silly strategy potentially creating an impression that the prodigal's return was leaving them cold.

 

"This offense is better with Jeremy," Eli Manning finally said, an essential truth that makes everything else just so much noise until camp opens July 24.

 

Some of that noise is that Shockey is: a) still not healthy enough to practice; b) still complaining about front office "leaks" on his alleged unhappiness; or c) clearly demonstrating his heart isn't into being a Giant anymore.

 

If it still is, no offer of a second-and a fifth-round pick, which the Giants turned down from New Orleans at the draft, is worth a player whose absence cost the team an average one yard per run.

 

Just because the Giants won once without Shockey doesn't mean they can do it again, or that they should try. Eliminating this presumed cancer also would be eliminating about 11 yards per catch, which, though about five yards less than Shockey wants it to be, is still a number not immediately replaced by the less-athletic Kevin Boss.

 

As for Burress, agent Drew Rosenhaus said he expects a deal in the near future. As for Umenyiora, Snee and Jacobs, none is withholding his services or threatening to, a good thing as Reese redivides a pie swelled a helpful $4 million by Michael Strahan's retirement.

 

"There are issues, but these aren't the worst issues in terms of dealing with success," Amani Toomer said. "I think it will all work itself out and everything will be fair."

 

Of course, fair always is in the eyes of the guy desiring fairness.

 

Players always have wanted to be paid for championships, and nevertheless, the Patriots and Broncos repeated during the cap era.

 

If the Giants don't, to those of you still half-expecting to wake up and find out it's the morning of Feb. 3, we offer the option of Burress dropping the winning touchdown in return for dropping his re-negotiation demands.

 

Or, the Giants reporting to training camp next month as a Super Bowl loser, seven of the last nine of which did not even make the playoffs.

 

Any takers?

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Burress won't practice without new deal

Updated: June 11, 2008, 4:27 PM EST 466 comments

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Plaxico Burress isn't going to practice with the New York Giants until the Super Bowl champions give him a new contract.

 

Burress reported to the Giants' mandatory minicamp Wednesday but refused to work out because he wasn't happy with the way contract negotiations are progressing between the team and agent Drew Rosenhaus.

 

Coach Tom Coughlin had indicated after practice that Burress did not work out because of a knee injury, but the receiver said he was healthy.

 

"Me and my agent are trying to get a deal done so I can stay a New York Giant for a long time," Burress said. "I, personally, don't like the way they're going and I am not happy about it. I am choosing not to participate."

 

General manager Jerry Reese refused to comment, saying it was an internal matter.

 

Burress, who caught a game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds remaining in the Super Bowl to give the Giants a 17-14 win over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots, has three years remaining his six-year, $25 million deal. He will earn $3.25 million this year, $3.5 million in 2009 and $3.75 million in 2010.

 

"I'm not saying I'm being mistreated," Burress said. "Everybody wants to be treated fairly."

 

Terrell Owens of Dallas and Randy Moss of New England recently signed three-year contracts for $27 million, while Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals got a four-year, $40 million contract with a $30 million guarantee.

 

 

"This is only my ninth season," Burress said. "I'm in the prime years of my career. I know I can play stellar football for at least another four or five more years."

 

Despite playing with a season-long ankle injury and a knee problem in the postseason, Burress had a team-high 70 catches for 1,025 yards and a career-best 12 touchdown catches. He has caught 209 passes as a Giant, leading the team in catches in two of his three seasons.

 

Burress and Eli Manning have combined for 29 touchdown catches since 2005, the most by a receiver-quarterback tandem in the league during that time.

 

"Last year was one of the most frustrating years I've been through," Burress said. "I sit back and look at myself, if I can go out and do the things I did, basically on one leg, and a half a knee in the Super Bowl, what type of performance am I going to give when I'm 100 percent?"

 

Burress said contract talks with the team started a month ago.

 

Speaking on a conference call, Rosenhaus said he does not like to discuss ongoing negotiations.

 

"We are hoping to get something worked out in the near future," he said.

 

Burress said that the Giants have known that he was unhappy with his contract so it should not have surprised them that he did not practice. He said he did not tell Coughlin that he would not be working out.

 

The Giants have a history of renegotiating contracts. Coughlin got a new $21 million contract after the Super Bowl.

 

Reese got $4 million of salary cap space to play with after Michael Strahan retired this week, but he still has to work out contracts for guard Chris Snee and halfback Brandon Jacobs. Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora also hinted that he wants a new deal.

 

Burress did not think that the Giants could fine him because he reported to the minicamp. He refused to say whether he would report to training camp in July if his contract issue had not been settled, but the smile seemed to indicate that he would hold out.

 

"We have been trying to handle it with class," Burress said. "We have been trying to do it the right way. Sometimes you just got stand up for what's right."

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Michael Strahan to FOX or NFL Net?

 

Michael Strahan, the future Hall of Fame New York Giant football great who retired this week, already has his work cut out for him. Sources say the charismatic athlete is already meeting with multiple networks seeking to land the star to a talent deal for their outlets. Among the leading contenders are said to be Fox Sports as well as the NFL Network. Sources close to Mr. Strahan note that his new digs on the Southern California beach make the West Coast-based companies more attractive to the athlete. Among East Coast suitors, CBS is reportedly the most likely match, although NBC is in the mix. Executives at both Fox Sports and the NFL Network have confirmed that they are extremely interested in Mr. Strahan and he will be approached for a position on their networks. Relationships and money will play a bigger part than locality in his decision, which could give Fox the edge in the end. -- TV Week

 

Shockey still working Giants for trade

 

Jeremy Shockey, the disgruntled four-time Pro Bowler, remained away from the practice field once again yesterday in what is an apparent protest about the Giants' reluctance to change his role in the offense or trade him. When asked if he was okay with Shockey's absence on the field, coach Tom Coughlin said, "Of course not." Shockey's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has said Shockey is unable to practice as he continues to heal from a broken leg. With Shockey's tactics and his private insistence that his sit-out could continue into training camp and perhaps into the regular season, the possibility the team will enter the 2008 season with Kevin Boss and Johnson as their top tight ends seems to be growing. -- Newark Star-Ledger

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Giants' O'Hara criticizes Burress, others for contract disputes

 

Associated Press

 

Updated: June 13, 2008, 12:48 PM ET

 

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Less than four months after winning the Super Bowl, center Shaun O'Hara isn't happy because he believes a couple of New York Giants are putting themselves ahead of the team.

O'Hara criticized receiver Plaxico Burress on Thursday for refusing to practice until he gets a new contract and reminded teammates that the Giants won their third Super Bowl by sticking together as a team when things got tough last season.

 

"Either you are with us or you are against us," O'Hara said between practices. "And I think the players are doing a good job of focusing in on their daily tasks and their jobs, and as long as we all continue to do that, this team will succeed."

 

The opening two days of the Giants' first mandatory practices since beating the New England Patriots in February have been somewhat of a circus.

 

 

Injured tight end Jeremy Shockey, who expressed unhappiness with his role in the offseason, miffed coach Tom Coughlin by staying in the locker room with his sore ankle instead of coming out to the field to watch practice.

 

Burress then compounded things on Wednesday by demanding a new contract even through he has three years left on his old one. He does not intend to practice until he gets a new deal, and he hinted that he might be a training camp holdout next month.

 

"I think there is a right way to do things," O'Hara said when asked about Burress, who is due to make $10.5 million over the next three seasons. "I have always felt that as a player, you go out there and put your best foot forward and, as a long as you are giving 100 percent effort every time, you'll be taken care of."

 

There is no doubt that Burress, who has led the Giants in receiving in two of his three seasons here and caught the game-winning touchdown in the final minute of the Super Bowl, will be underpaid next season without a new contract.

 

Terrell Owens of Dallas and Randy Moss of New England each recently signed three-year contracts for roughly $27 million.

 

However, Burress' refusal to practice stole all the headlines Thursday.

 

"I guess my feeling is it is a disservice to all the other guys out there working hard, and doing their jobs to focus on the negative," O'Hara said in a comment that seemed to criticize both his teammate and the media. "Sometimes we expect that, but there are a lot of guys out there doing good things every day. We have a lot of young guys getting a lot of good reps. That should be the focus."

 

Coughlin has not talked to Burress since his refusal to practice, but he understands that this is the time that some players will try to get more money.

 

"Naturally I want everybody on the field," said Coughlin, who got a new four-year $21 million contract after the season. "We anticipated the camp being the camp. We want everybody out here. The quarterback wants everybody out here. The quarterback wants to throw to people; he wants to work with people. That is what a minicamp is for."

 

Shockey, who broke his leg late last season and is now bothered by an ankle, has not talked to the media since arriving at minicamp.

 

However, he has attended team meetings and been positive, teammates said.

 

"We understand that the NFL is a business and there is that other side of it, so Jeremy just has to do what is best for Jeremy," fellow tight end Darcy Johnson said. "He feels that is his situation and everybody has their own situations and their own problems that they have to deal with."

 

Defensive end Osi Umenyiora doesn't think either situation is a major distraction. He believes it will be handled when training camp opens in July.

 

"Whichever way it goes, I don't think there are going to be any distractions," Umenyiora said. "The people who are practicing and the people who are playing, I don't think are really too focused on what is going on outside of the practice field, so I don't think it is really going to be that big of a deal."

 

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

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O'Hara: Media misinterpreted me

 

Shaun O’Hara was pretty surprised last night when he heard and read that he had been critical of Plaxico Burress, because it turns out that wasn’t what he meant at all.

 

O’Hara today said that when he said “You’re either with us or you’re against us” and “I think there’s a right way to do things,” he was speaking in general terms, not about Burress’ “business decision” to not practice until he gets a new contract. Nor was he speaking about Jeremy Shockey’s decision not to join his teammates on the field.

 

The media, according to O’Hara, totally misinterpreted what he said.

 

“I thought it was quite humorous that all these intellectuals with pens and recorders could totally miss the point that was made yesterday,” he said. “I was frustrated with the media. I never once criticized anybody or any teammates. So you guys missed the point on that one.”

 

O’Hara said that the point he was trying to make was “directed at outside sources, outside influences, not directed at a teammate. It’s an ‘us against the world’ mentality, and ‘us’ includes all the players on this team. People may have come in in the middle of that statement and didn’t hear the question.”

 

“I was asked a general question about players in general,” O’Hara added. “It had no relevance whatsoever to anybody. (It was) a general question about players wanting more money and new contracts. I’m always going to side with the players when they want more money. You have to handle your business. But what I said was that in my opinion that there was a right way to do things.

 

“I’m not talking about those guys (Shockey and Burress). I never was talking about those guys. I was speaking in general terms, my belief about the way I would handle it.”

 

O’Hara is a good guy who has been a consummate professional with the media ever since he joined the Giants, and in fact he has been a deserving finalist for the George Young Good Guy award presented by the writers for the last several years. He has earned our trust and the benefit of the doubt, so I’ll believe him that his intent was not to specifically attack two teammates. Only he knows for sure and I’m not going to try to interpret what was in his head.

 

What I will say, though, is this: O’Hara is a smart man who was aware of the Shockey and Burress situations and knew there was a reason he was being asked those questions. We weren’t just curious about his positions on that subject in general, we were curious because of what was happening with his own team. In fact, one of the questions was a follow-up to a direct question about Burress, so it’s hard to misinterpret. To completely dismiss that from the backdrop would be to take his words out of context. The context included the situations with his two teammates.

 

Still, in the very first sentence of my story, I write that he “never mentioned Plaxico Burress or Jeremy Shockey by name” and that his message was intended “for anyone trying to distract the Giants from defending their title.”

 

I did write that O’Hara “indicated” Burress was approaching this the wrong way, but I still think that’s a fair and accurate interpretation. I don’t (and won’t) doubt what he tells me his intent was, though. Just to be fair, I’ll give you the entire transcript of the interview so you can decide for yourself:

 

Q: Tom did say it was the team-first concept that helped you guys win a championship. It can be a distraction, especially when you get to training camp, guys who put personal matters, business matters first. Do you think that this team is strong enough in that locker room to withstand those types of distractions?

 

O’Hara: Absolutely. I think we proved it last year, that the team-first concept overcomes everything, and whether players like it or not this team is going to move forward. There certainly will be another center playing in my position when I’m done, and that goes for every position along the line. You’re either with us or against us, and I think the players are doing a good job of focusing on their daily tasks and their jobs. As long as we all continue to do that this team will succeed.

 

Q: Does it surprise you that the Burress issue is a big thing?

 

O’Hara: I think it’s a disservice to the other guys who are out there doing their job and practicing. To focus on the negative is, you know, sometimes we expect that. But there’s a lot of guys out there doing good things every day. We have a lot of young guys who are getting good reps.

 

Q: Do you blame a guy for going out there trying to get as much as he’s worth?

 

O’Hara: I think there’s a right way to do things. I’ve always felt that as a player you go out there and you put your best foot forward and as long as you’re giving 100% effort every time, you’ll be taken care of.

 

***

 

Drew Rosenhaus, the agent for Shockey and Burress, was at Giants Stadium today. GM Jerry Reese said he did not meet with Rosenhaus nor does he have any plans to meet with him. However, it’s hard to imagine that if Rosenhaus is out in the parking lot and Reese is in the front office that the two won’t speak at some point – if they haven’t already.

 

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Outburst at GM may spell end for Shockey

Updated: June 14, 2008, 9:16 AM EST 48 comments

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New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey engaged in a shouting match with General Manager Jerry Reese this week, making his return to the team this fall increasingly unlikely.

 

Shockey left the final day of a mandatory minicamp at Giants Stadium before the morning practice ended Friday, The Bergen Record in New Jersey said, and reports surfaced he and Reese had a heated argument.

 

Shockey reportedly accused the Giants of spreading rumors of unrest during the offseason in hopes of drumming up trade interest. During an appearance last weekend, Shockey told the paper the club "released multiple things about myself. If you look back into the media, there's always a source. Well, I'd like to know who the source is. We'll go over here and deal it out ourselves."

 

Drew Rosenhaus, the agent for Shockey, showed up at Giants Stadium on Friday, but Reese said no meeting was planned.

 

"The best thing I can say about Jeremy's situation is that we are talking to the team about some of the issues that exist and we hope to get that resolved," Rosenhaus said.

 

The Giants will have to decide whether to keep Shockey or move him, perhaps at less than market value. The New Orleans Saints tried to make a deal before the NFL Draft in April, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also are believed to be interested.

 

Tight ends Kevin Boss and Darcy Johnson took most of the snaps during the five practices this week. Boss made a key 45-yard reception in the Super Bowl to help the Giants shock the New England Patriots. Johnson played in two games in the 2006 season before suffering a knee injury last summer that kept him off the field.

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On TV, Michael Strahan must tackle feelings toward Giants

 

Saturday, June 14th 2008, 9:04 PM

Marlin/Getty

 

Many feel Michael Strahan could make the jump to broadcasting like former mate Tiki Barber.

 

There has been much chatter about Michael Strahan being a can't-miss TV property, but the former Giant raised some eyebrows - and questions - in network circles Tuesday when he officially said goodbye.

 

Strahan professed his everlasting love for the Giants, especially the current edition. Strahan also said he would continue rooting for them. What's going to happen when - not if - he is called on to hammer Tom Coughlin's crew?

 

"On the occasion of announcing his retirement you can understand where Michael was coming from," said a network suit involved with the NFL. "But it makes you wonder if he'll be able to quickly separate from not just his former teammates, but all the players in the league. If he'll be able to be objective. If he will be able to criticize.

 

"Many players looked as good as Michael coming out, as far as TV, but they bombed," the exec said. "They gave good interview, but when they got in the studio, they had nothing compelling to say."

 

In terms of Strahan talking Giants, there could be one name running through his mind - Tiki Barber. The Giants' all-time leading rusher, now a member of NBC's "Football Night in America" cast, made his transition to the "other side" quickly.

 

When NBC first asked him to comment on the Giants during the 2007 preseason, Barber was candid - offering his now-famous comments about Eli Manning's leadership ability, or lack thereof. Barber was unfairly vilified for his commentary. He should have been applauded. Barber was doing his job. Doing it darn well. Will Strahan have the onions to be as critical of the Giants? He better.

 

Strahan is a highly sought-after TV player. There appears to be competition for his services, which could drive up his price. The honchos ain't paying for vanilla. They are not paying for Strahan to cut any team slack.

 

This space has already reported Fox Sports is showing major interest. Strahan could wind up in the studio - working with Curt (Big House) Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson - or the Foxies could insert Strahan into the broadcast booth with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, their No. 1 NFL team.

 

Reports of CBS Sports' interest have also surfaced. Strahan would be part of "The NFL Today" cast. He could also have a role in CBS-owned Showtime's production of "Inside the NFL." With five mouths on its dais (James Brown, Dan Marino, Bill Cowher, Shannon Sharpe, Boomer Esiason), "The NFL Today" is already a crowded house. One analyst would likely be "reassigned" to make room for Strahan, who would be coming in as a star.

The move could adversely affect the chemistry CBS Sports brass has worked hard to build on "The NFL Today." It could also ruffle some of the more fragile egos on the panel.

 

There is another major player, with more national appeal than Strahan, who could change the equation - the newly retired Brett Favre. Hiring a former player who can stir the pot on TV is important. Still, landing a big fish such as Favre would be a huge coup for a network.

 

So, does the "loser" in the Strahan sweepstakes upstage the "winner" by making a play for Favre and signing him? Network spies say Favre has not yet shown any inclination to start a TV career.

 

That leaves Strahan alone in the pond.

 

After Tuesday's performance, will he turn out to be nothing more than a Big Bluefish?

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Giants must get rid of Jeremy Shockey before training camp

 

Sunday, June 15th 2008, 1:00 AM

 

 

Jeremy Shockey found the playbook Terrell Owens left behind in Philadelphia. The X's and O's of shooting your way out of town.

 

Shockey must go. And there doesn't seem to be any doubt he wants to go.

 

That much is clear after his acts of insubordination last week at minicamp. For three days, he refused to join the Giants' other injured players on the sidelines for practice and stayed behind in the locker room. That could cost him $8,638 a day, which should really please him. He also reportedly got into a shouting match with GM Jerry Reese. It's never good to yell at the boss.

 

Now combine Shockey's antics with Plaxico Burress going on strike and refusing to practice at minicamp because he does not have a new contract, and you have a Super Bowl champion imploding. Tom Coughlin, who initially thought Burress wasn't practicing due to a sore knee, said he wasn't aware that Burress wasn't practicing for contract reasons until after he sat out the first workout. What a mess.

 

The Giants were closely monitoring Shockey's behavior after not understanding where he was coming from in his comments last week at an event in Queens in which he blamed the team for leaking information that he was unhappy. Was that the subject of his rant to Reese?

 

It's possible that his behavior at minicamp was intended to force the Giants to trade him, but one source aware of the team's thinking said, "They are not going to give him away." Still, the Giants must try to maintain the chemistry they developed in their Super Bowl run or they will be nothing more than one-month wonders. Right around the draft, the Saints wanted Shockey and offered the Giants their second-round pick this year and their fifth-round pick next year. Considering Shockey's behavior, the Giants blew it by not taking those two draft picks and saying goodbye. That is probably going to be the best offer they get.

 

They should get back on the phone with Saints coach Sean Payton and hope he still wants the player he coached as a rookie to provide firepower for Drew Brees. The Giants have lost their leverage with teams knowing they have no choice but to trade him. They must get rid of him before training camp or risk his bad attitude poisoning the locker room.

 

Kevin Boss is no Shockey as a tight end, but he did have a huge 45-yard catch on the Giants' first Super Bowl TD drive. Even if Eli Manning won't admit it, he was more relaxed on the field without Shockey demanding the ball or throwing his arms up in the air after Manning bounced one at his feet or sailed one over his head. The Giants went on their Super Bowl run without Shockey. He is not irreplaceable.

Whether Shockey is unhappy about his contract or his pride is hurt that the Giants won it all without him or he's tired of giving up his body to block when he'd rather be catching the ball, he can be a distraction for as long as he remains. Which the Giants should make sure is not much longer.

 

The defenseless

 

Coughlin recently put information in the Giants' lockers detailing the trouble Super Bowl teams have reaching the same level of success the following season.

 

"Once we get to camp that will be well understood" he said.

 

What he really should have done is put the team pictures of the 1987 Giants, the 1991 Giants and the 2001 Giants in the lockers. Those teams were a combined 21-26.

 

What did they have in common? The first two teams were attempting to defend the Super Bowl title. The third team was trying to defend the NFC title. None of them made the playoffs or had a winning record.

 

The '87 strike ruined the Giants' attempt at defending the title. Bill Parcells' departure in May following the second Super Bowl put Ray Handley, so over his head, in charge. And the 2001 team was 7-9 following the Super Bowl blowout loss to the Ravens.

 

So, what do the 2008 Giants have in common with their forefathers? Not much with the '87 and '91 teams. They seem to have more in common with the 2001 team:

 

Overachievers who got hot at the end. That, of course, doesn't mean this year's Giants will be 7-9, but if June is any indication of what;s to come, this could really test the kinder and gentler Coughlin of last year.

 

Amani Toomer is the only player left from the team that lost to Baltimore. What happened the next year? "We forgot what made us good" he said. "Traditionally, to win in football it takes effort and will. The most talented teams I've been on have been some of the worst teams I've been on. Knowing that, it's getting that edge back.

 

I don't know if you call it fear of losing or fear of failure or desire for success, but there has to be that drive."

 

He's worried about how this team will react this season.

 

"Just because we did it last year and we have a lot of the same players, doesn't mean we are going to play the same" Toomer said.

 

Michael won't Stra-y too far

 

Michael Strahan retired this past week, but he will still be visible with his charitable work in the community. He's giving back with the third annual Michael Strahan/Dreier LLP Charity Golf Tournament, which raises money to improve the lives of underprivileged kids in the New York area (strahandreier.com). This year's beneficiaries are Children's Rights, a national advocacy group dedicated to bring about lasting improvements in child protection, foster case and adoption, and Keep A Child Alive, an organization created to fight AIDS in Africa by providing life-saving medication, support and orphan care to keep African children and families alive.

 

The tournament will be played June 30 at the Century Country Club in Purchase.

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Giants have issues after Super season

 

BY RALPH VACCHIANO

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

 

Sunday, June 15th 2008, 1:05 AM

Kostroun/AP

 

 

 

It was only four months ago that the Giants won the Super Bowl and everyone felt like they were on top of the world. They were cheered by millions in Manhattan, lauded by everyone for one of the greatest upsets ever. Everything was wonderful.

 

Then the offseason began and the dark side of winning a Super Bowl emerged.

 

"Right away, as soon as you win it, people start referring to it as if it's a bad thing now," Tom Coughlin said. "It's not a bad thing. Even at this point in time, it's not."

 

No, winning Super Bowl XLII will never be bad, but the chain reaction the victory set off wasn't exactly good. There's a business side to winning a championship, as the Giants are beginning to realize. It can be ugly, and it's derailed many title defenses before.

 

Just look at what happened to the Giants this week. First they lost a Hall of Fame defender when Michael Strahan retired. Then Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress staged minicamp protests. Shockey's protest - in which he refused to come to the practice field - turned real ugly when he got into a shouting match with GM Jerry Reese last week.

 

And all that was just an extension of what happened during the offseason when Shockey asked to be traded (and the Giants considered a serious offer from the New Orleans Saints) and Burress asked for a hefty raise and a new contract. Osi Umenyiora wanted more money and a new deal, too, and so did Brandon Jacobs, Chris Snee, and according to one team official, "more people than you know."

 

Meanwhile, the Giant players who did participate in minicamp and are presumably content, are forced to answer a slew of unwanted questions about off-the-field issues. That can be a dangerous minefield to navigate, as Sean O'Hara learned last week. In what he said was meant to be a general statement about players with contract issues, O'Hara said Thursday, "You're either with us or against us."

 

A few hours later he learned that was preceived as a shot at Burress, causing another unwanted distraction for the team.

 

And there could be more distractions still looming on the horizon. Umenyiora was considering a training camp holdout. Burress and Shockey still are.

 

Meanwhile, the championship banquet circuit was apparently very good to many of the Giants. Even Coughlin admitted, "We have some people that are not in the kind of condition they need to be in." Many of the players spent the offseason going to parties, attending events in their honor, and making more paid appearances than they'd ever dreamed possible.

 

And Coughlin, Burress and David Tyree all wrote books.

 

"There are issues," receiver Amani Toomer admitted. "They are probably not the worst issues to have in terms of dealing with success, but you have to count on those types of things because we had a lot of success last year.

 

"All the distractions are outside of this building," added. "If this is our biggest concern all year long, I think that's pretty good."

 

Indeed, the issues that have cropped up so far are relatively minor, especially considering there are still six weeks until training camp opens (July 24) and nearly three months until opening night. If the players can get back in shape quickly, if Shockey and Burress show up to camp, and if there are no bombshells from any of the new authors, then camp could turn out to be pretty quiet for the defending champs, who return mostly intact.

 

But for the moment, all that is an unknown. And given the normal media attention the Giants get in New York, which is now amped up considerably in the wake of their surprising championship, any little spark of controversy this summer won't take long to turn into a full-blown fire.

 

Then again, they weren't exactly controversy-free last summer, either.

 

"We had the situation last year with Michael Strahan not being in camp, so it's nothing new to us," said cornerback Sam Madison. "The guys know how to deal with it."

 

"We understand and realize what goes into this business," added defensive tackle Justin Tuck. "We know guys are going to argue about their contracts, but we don't get involved in that. We let the individual do what's best for them, and we go on and play football. We've just got to be focused and go out and do what we've got to do.

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2008 NFC East Preview

Cowboys and Giants clash again in an elite division

By Paul Bessire, WhatIfSports.com

June 16th 2008

 

We will preview an NFL division each day for eight days, before presenting final standings, fantasy and statistical leaders, award winners, playoff results and power rankings. This analysis is part of a broader endeavor with FOXSports.com's Fantasy Football.

 

Rosters and depth charts are up-to-date and as accurate as possible as of June 8, 2008. A schedule of upcoming NFL preview content including links to other previews that have already been posted is located here.

 

For details on how we generate the results and the definition of the Absolute Record, click here.

To hide the details, click here.

 

For this analysis, each regular season game is simulated 1,000 times, with the sum of the winning percentages of those games being our final predicted record. As can be noted, sometimes a team is "favored" (wins more than 50% of the time) in a different number of our games than the expected record shows. We list this record as the Absolute Record. The assumption of the Absolute Record is that the more likely scenario always happens. Since we know that it does not (see Super Bowl XLII), our expected record (in parentheses next to each team) is far more accurate. Also, especially since we are rounding, it is possible for a team to win a game more often, yet score the same or fewer points on average. In those cases, for Absolute Records, we always take higher winning percentage and are not predicting a tie or a win by an underdog. This is another reason why the expected records are more accurate, as the teams are so evenly matched, the game could easily go either way.

Today we will preview the NFC East.

 

Dallas Cowboys (12-4)

The Super Bowl run by the Giants after they defeated the Cowboys may not have sweetened the taste in the Cowboys' mouths, but this is still a very good, balanced team that had a great 2007 and should match that in 2008. The Cowboys average 29.9 points per game (#2 in the NFL) and allow 19.7 points (#6) against a schedule featuring nine games against eight 2007 playoff teams.

Absolute Record: 15-1

Most Significant Newcomer: Zach Thomas, LB - He probably should not be playing another season, but he signed with the Cowboys and could, yet again, be a tackling machine (when healthy). It's Thomas' chance to win a Super Bowl, and he will do everything he can to get his team there. We have Thomas with 100 tackles in 12 games. If those four missed games are the final four of the season and the injury has anything to do with his head, Thomas may be forced to retire before Dallas could vie for a spot in the Super Bowl.

Biggest Strength: Balance - This team does not have any obvious weaknesses (I just killed my next topic). The Cowboys have talent at every position and do just about everything well.

Most Exploitable Weakness: Uncertainty on Offense - Dallas can do just about everything well, but players like Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Patrick Crayton and even Tony Romo have never had to sustain a level of excellence for an entire season in the roles that they will be asked to fulfill in 2008. All the numbers point to success by the entire offense, but it is cause for concern.

Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Martellus Bennett, TE - Jason Witten is the top rated fantasy TE in the league and that is exactly why. Tony Romo loves a safety blanket over the middle. Witten is not injury-prone, but if he does slip up, Bennett is the player who will step up. And even if Witten is healthy all year, Bennett is too athletic and too skilled for Jason Garrett to ignore. The simulation gives him 23 catches for 275 yards and two touchdowns, while Witten plays all 16 games.

Closest Game: @ New York Giants (Week 9) - It is the only projected loss on the schedule. These teams may have to face each other three times again in 2008. If that's the case, the outcomes of the first two games may decide who has home-field in the third game.

 

Fantasy Notables (fantasy rank at position in parentheses): Tony Romo (3) 4,103 yards, 31 TDs, 17 INTs; Marion Barber (6) 1,548 total yards, 15 TDs; Felix Jones (39) 698 total yards, 9 touchdowns; Terrell Owens (3) 87 receptions, 1,335 yards, 9 TDs; Patrick Crayton (40) 52 receptions, 709 yards,6 TDs; Jason Witten (1) 88 receptions, 1,040 yards, 8 TDs; Nick Folk (1) 51/51 XPs, 32/39 FGs

 

 

New York Giants (11-5)

Michael Strahan is a likeable guy, but he really should have known better than to retire between the running of the simulated season and the posting of the New York Giants' preview. Fortunately, we kind of saw it coming and already had him playing less than half of the season and totaling just 14 tackles. His impact on the other pass rushers and this whole team was more than evident in the Super Bowl. In 2008, they continue on to great success without Strahan. The Giants average 26.6 points per game (#5) and allow 19.4 points (#5) against a schedule featuring just six games against 2007 playoff teams.

Absolute Record: 15-1 - The schedule shapes up very well, but Dallas at home (after last year's playoffs) should present a big challenge.

 

Most Significant Newcomer: Sammy Knight, S - The move was actually pretty impressive: lose Gibril Wilson; bring in Sammy Knight and Kenny Phillips. Both could start in Week 1 and both should keep this defense performing at its peak. James Butler, who actually led the team in tackling in the playoffs, could also step in if either of these players is injured or not up to par. Easy enough. The sim has Sammy Knight with 79 tackles and two interceptions.

 

Biggest Strength: QB Pressure - Even without Strahan, the Giants are the most intimidating defensive front seven in the league. Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck have a seemingly perfect combination of size, speed and strength. Mathias Kiwanuka is healthy and could easily approach the double-digit sack totals that Tuck and Umenyiora will almost-assuredly get (pre-Strahan retirement we had both with 14 sacks and Kiwanuka at six). Expect another 50-plus sacks by the Giants' D.

 

Most Exploitable Weakness: Turnover Margin - Eli Manning has definitely had some trouble keeping the ball from the other team; he did it 27 times in 2007. On the flip-side, forcing turnovers was not a strength last year and Sammy Knight is not going to make the difference. In this analysis, we have Manning with just 16 turnovers and the defense causing 17. That is an improvement, but neither number is great.

Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Ahmad Bradshaw, RB - From Steven Smith, Mario Manningham and David Tyree to Kevin Boss to Bradshaw and Derrick Ward, there are actually several options to choose. Bradshaw will get the most opportunities though. After his performance at the end of last season and in the playoffs, he should be the clear backup to Brandon Jacobs. The simulated season gives the ex-Marshall product 902 total yards and nine touchdowns. That sounds like a great handcuff for Jacobs' owners.

 

Closest Game: @ Minnesota (Week 17) - If both teams play this game like it matters, it will be a great game. Going into Week 17 in this exercise, the Giants could still unseat the Cowboys for the division title. The Vikings will have the North wrapped up, but should remember how well a hard-fought game propelled the Giants last season.

 

Fantasy Notables: Eli Manning (7) 3,750 yards, 25 TDs, 12 INTs; Brandon Jacobs (7) 1,581 total yards, 13 TDs; Ahmad Bradshaw (36) 902 total yards, 9 TDs; Plaxico Burress (15) 70 receptions, 1,097 yards, 7 TDs; Jeremy Schockey (18) 39 receptions, 456 yards, 3 TDs; Lawrence Tynes (10) 45/46 XPs, 26/33 FGs

 

 

Washington Redskins (9-7)

Just because they do not make the playoffs in 2008, does not mean they are a worse team than in 2007. In 2007, they played inspired football at the end of the year and fed off of a legendary head coach. The Jim Zorn regime will begin with an identical record, but a different personality. Look for Jason Campbell to come of age at quarterback, but the defense to lose some of its tenacity without Gregg Williams. The Redskins average 23.8 points per game (#15) and allow 22.6 points (#16) against a schedule featuring six games against 2007 playoff teams.

Absolute Record: 9-7

Most Significant Newcomer: Malcolm Kelly, WR - Maybe the 40-yard dash time is of bigger weight than the analysis shows and the productive pass-catcher out of Oklahoma may just as easily become Mike Williams or Dwayne Jarrett as he could James Jones; but, Kelly's college numbers at the highest level should not lie. This is a guy who averaged over 16 yards per reception and was a touchdown machine in his final two seasons in Norman. With his size and "yards after the catch" abilities, Kelly should be a mainstay in Washington's lineup for years to come. Santana Moss, Antwann Randle El and Chris Cooley are definitely not washed up, but the new guard of Kelly, Devin Thomas and Fred Davis should match very well with what Jason Campbell and Jim Zorn want to do.

Biggest Strength: Pass Defense - Even without Williams and the late Sean Taylor, this pass rush is an elite unit. Fred Smoot, Shawn Springs, Carlos Rogers and LaRon Landry have all illustrated in their careers that they can play at the highest level in this league. London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh and Marcus Washington are all athletic enough to get in passing lanes or rush the quarterback.

Most Exploitable Weakness: Age - After years of renting the league's most expensive free agent veterans, Washington is doing the right thing by injecting youth into the offensive skill positions. Unfortunately, the offensive line, with all starters over 30, and the entire defense, with almost exactly half of the contributors older than 30, are not getting much younger. The Redskins will address this over time. It's just going to hurt them by the end of 2008.

Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Malcolm Kelly, WR - We do not usually double-up like this, but he is doing much better in the sim than most people think. The numbers have Kelly as a top-40 WR with 51 receptions for 785 yards and five touchdowns. Fred Davis is an option here for the same reasons as Martellus Bennett above.

Closest Game: @ Seattle (Week 12) - Zorn goes back to Seattle where the Seahawks are one of the league's best home teams. Are all of the teams in the NFC East better than any team in the NFC West?. A road game at the West's division winner is as close as that debate gets.

 

Fantasy Notables: Jason Campbell (11) 3,058 passing yards, 21 TDs, 11 INTs; Clinton Portis (8) 1,572 total yards,13 TDs; Malcolm Kelly (38) 51 receptions, 785 yards, 5 TDs; Santana Moss (41) 70 receptions, 786 yards and 5 TDs; Chris Cooley (5) 71 receptions, 764 yards, 5 TDs; Shaun Suisham (24) 42/42 XPs, 29/33 FGs

 

 

 

Philadelphia Eagles (8-8)

This is no longer an elite NFL team, but it would still be interesting to see how they would fare in a division that was not as competitive (and yes we know that we have the technology to make that happen). The division is just too tough and Philly just seems to be in a bit of a rut. Have they lacked an identity since the last NFC Championship game? Does something big have to change?... The Eagles average 22.8 points per game (#17) and allow 22.3 points (#15) against a schedule featuring eight games against 2007 playoff teams.

Absolute Record: 8-8

Most Significant Newcomer: Asante Samuel, CB - There is not a great track record of players who perfectly fit a system on a great team who later go on to thrive on their own as a star on another team. That being said, it is impossible to ignore Samuel's production over the last couple of seasons in New England and he instantly upgrades a secondary that was banged up for most of last season. The sim shows Samuel making eight interceptions and 51 tackles. Special teams are hard to judge, but DeSean Jackson has to be in this discussion. Trevor Laws, Quintin Demps and Lorenzo Booker were considered as well. All five are to be considered boom-or-bust candidates (Samuel has much less bust potential than the others).

Biggest Strength: Brian Westbrook - We single him out because he can do it all out of the running back position. When he is fully healthy, he may be as complete and dynamic an offensive weapon as there is in this league (you read that right, LT).

Most Exploitable Weakness: Pass Protection - Despite only starting 12 games and attempting 381 passes, the simulated season sees Donovan McNabb sacked 36 times, fourth most of any quarterback. Last season, he was sacked 44 times in 14 games. When the team struggles with pass protection, its yards-per-attempt passing go way down. Fortunately, they can rely on Brian Westbrook as an outlet, but not on third-and-long.

Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Chris Gocong, LB - We would love to say Lorenzo Booker, Brent Celek, DeSean Jackson or Kevin Kolb, but they may have to wait until next year. Gocong, the former Buch Buchanan Award winner (DI-AA/FCS defensive player of the year, like Jared Allen, Rashean Mathis, Dexter Coakley and Ed Hartwell) is in his second full season with the Eagles. In the simulated 2008 season, he leads the team with 93 tackles and also notches two sacks.

Closest Game: Cleveland (Week 15) - This may be another way to try to answer the question above. Cleveland presents the best team in another division, a team on the rise. This will be a great opportunity for the Eagles to show the league where it stands.

Fantasy Notables: Donovan McNabb (17) 2,701 yards, 17 TDs, 9 INTs; Brian Westbrook (2) 2,056 total yards, 16 TDs; Kevin Curtis (26) 67 receptions, 972 yards, 6 TDs; L.J. Smith (20) 41 receptions, 431 yards, 3 TDs; David Akers (15) 38/38 XPs, 28/31 FGs

 

 

 

 

COMPLETE ARTICLE ALONG WITH 2008 PROJECTED WINS/LOSSES

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Fashion police rip Eli, wife over faux pas

by Jennifer Fermino, New York Post

Updated: June 19, 2008, 2:47 PM EST 193 comments

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Here's Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and his missus out on the town, hobnobbing with the rich and famous at one of Manhattan's chicest parties.

 

The couple turned up at the uber-cool Whitney Contemporaries Art Party and Auction Tuesday at the Skylight Studios.

 

The well-heeled crowd included society staples Tinsley Mortimer and Ivanka Trump.

 

But one fashionista sniffed that the Mannings' fashion sense scored no points.

 

Abby McGrew's dress is "too short, too tight, and doesn't fit well. The zipper doesn't zip and she's bursting out of it," said Linda Mann, head of Mann Media, who was eyeing photos of the beauty yesterday.

 

 

As for Super Bowl MVP Eli, Mann said he was a bit underdressed at the trendy happening.

 

"I think he's still adjusting to Manhattan," said one sympathetic partygoer.

 

 

Pic of offending outfits

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Bradshaw jailed in southwest Virginia

Updated: June 19, 2008, 4:40 PM EST 39 comments

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - New York Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw is serving a 30-day jail sentence on a probation violation in southwest Virginia, his legal counsel said Thursday.

 

 

Charles A. Stacy said in a news release that Bradshaw, who reported to the Abingdon Regional Jail on Sunday, is being held on a violation from the Tazewell County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

 

Stacy said the underlying charge stems from an offense that occurred while Bradshaw, a native of Bluefield, was a juvenile.

 

"Mr. Bradshaw has not been charged with any offense since being drafted by the New York Giants and is eager to put this matter behind him and begin training for next season," Stacy said in the statement.

 

His office declined to release any additional information.

 

Bradshaw, a key player in the Giants' Super Bowl victory against the New England Patriots last February, reported to the jail under a court order and is being held without bond, jail employee Stephen Clear said.

 

Bradshaw, who played in college at Marshall, rushed for 45 yards in New York's 17-14 victory against the Patriots. He also recovered a fumble.

 

The Giants said they were aware of Bradshaw's situation.

 

"This situation is not the result of any recent incident," the team said. "It stems from an issue that occurred prior to Ahmad being drafted by the Giants. Beyond that, we have no further comment."

 

After a dazzling career at Graham High School, where he rushed for 5,265 yards and 92 touchdowns, Bradshaw was recruited by and originally enrolled at Virginia, but was dismissed from the Cavaliers football team without ever playing a game after pleading guilty to resisting arrest and underage drinking, both misdemeanors, and being placed on probation.

 

He rushed for almost 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns in three seasons at Marshall after joining the team as a walk-on, but also had another arrest, this time for allegedly stealing a PlayStation 2 video game.

 

He pleaded guilty in that case to misdemeanor petit larceny and was given two years probation. A 12-month jail sentence was suspended.

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Bud is again the beer for new Meadowlands stadium

 

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

Thursday, June 19th 2008, 2:28 PM

 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The beer of the Jets and Giants will remain Budweiser.

 

Anheuser-Busch has signed a contract to become the second major sponsor of the new Meadowlands stadium for the Jets and Giants of the NFL.

 

The announcement on Thursday came three days after MetLife Inc. reached a tentative agreement with the New Meadowlands Stadium Co. to be one of four cornerstone partners in the 82,500-seat stadium that is scheduled to open in 2010.

 

Experts have said each of the four cornerstone partners will pay between $10 million and $15 million annually for the right to have exclusive naming rights to brand one of the four main entrances as well as an inside corner of the stadium and one of the four interior scoreboards.

 

The fifth and final sponsor is expected to pay at least $20 million annually for the naming rights to the stadium.

 

Terms for Anheuser-Busch and MetLife were not disclosed.

 

Anheuser-Busch, which is the official beer sponsor for 28 NFL teams, has a current beer sponsorship agreement at Giants Stadium with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which leases the stadium to the Super Bowl champion Giants and the Jets.

 

The new $1.3 billion stadium will be co-owned by the Giants and Jets and managed by the New Meadowlands Stadium Co.

 

Fans will be offered pre-game festivities and live music in the 25,000-square-foot Budweiser and Bud Light plaza on the new stadium’s north side. Inside the northeast corner of the stadium, they will find a multitiered, 4,000-6,000-square-foot sports bar.

 

"We are very proud that great American brands like Budweiser and Bud Light are extending their historic relationship with the Meadowlands by committing so significantly to the future through this cornerstone partnership," Jets chief executive Woody Johnson said.

 

Giants chief executive John Mara said that more than 14 thousand tons of steel have been erected, 45,000 cubic yards of concrete poured, and 680,000 man-hours have been logged on the new stadium.

 

"We are well on our way to creating one of the finest stadiums in the world," Mara said.

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Ex-Giant ends cross-country walk for 9/11 relief

Updated: June 21, 2008, 4:39 PM EST 70 comments

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SAN DIEGO (AP) - Ex-New York Giants lineman George Martin went through 24 pairs of shoes and lost 40 pounds before finishing his cross-country walk Saturday, raising $2 million along the way for sick 9/11 rescue workers.

 

Martin ended his nine-month, 3,003-mile trek at Embarcadero Park, where he was met by police officers, firefighters and other NFL alumni.

 

"I feel like a million bucks," Martin said. "Other than a blister that I have on my left foot, I'm in great shape."

 

The co-captain of the 1987 Super Bowl champions said he considered it a privilege to walk on behalf of the 9/11 first responders. He called them far more heroic than any professional athlete.

 

"What they did on that day, I could never do in a million years," Martin said.

 

He began the walk in New York on Sept. 16 to draw attention to the plight of rescue and recovery workers who developed respiratory problems after working in the dusty ruins of the World Trade Center.

 

"These heroes need our collective support," Martin said in a statement. "Many who answered our nation's call for help now cannot even walk up the steps in their own homes due to severe respiratory and other ailments. Some are dying. They deserve our help."

 

The trip began on the George Washington Bridge in Manhattan to Hackensack, N.J., on his way to a halftime appearance at Giants Stadium. Martin walked south to Tennessee, west through Texas and across the high plains and desert to California.

 

He trudged through rainstorms, winter ice and brutal heat, and the trip took five months longer than expected. He averaged 22 miles per day and burned through 80 pairs of socks.

 

Martin, who played 14 years in the NFL, is an executive at the financial services firm AXA Equitable. He lives in New Jersey.

 

The walk wasn't without hitches. Strong headwind forced him to walk some parts of his route backward, from west to east, because it was too exhausting.

 

"While this has been a difficult undertaking, it has also been wonderful to see our nation on foot while raising awareness about the plight of these 9/11 workers," Martin said.

 

He originally planned to reach the Golden Gate Bridge, but adjusted his route to finish in San Diego.

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Donovan McNabb relates to Giants' Super distractions

 

By OHM YOUNGMISUK

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

 

Sunday, June 22nd 2008, 7:59 AM

 

 

 

Donovan McNabb knows how hard it is to make it back to the Super Bowl the season after playing in one.

 

And he knows just how much more difficult that can be while dealing with super agent Drew Rosenhaus and one of his unhappy clients.

 

If anyone knows the kind of potential drama the Giants face this summer with disgruntled Rosenhaus players Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress, it's McNabb.

 

"It is something that won't die down depending on how everyone handles it," McNabb said. "I don't know if it will tear them apart. They have enough guys in the locker room that they won't have to worry about it. But when people start taking sides, that is when it becomes a problem. That was definitely a major problem with what happened to us."

 

After McNabb led the Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2005, the quarterback watched Terrell Owens, a Rosenhaus client, shred the Eagles with his contract demands and ego.

 

Wanting a new contract, Owens skipped a three-day minicamp and later got into a heated argument with head coach Andy Reid before clashing with McNabb and dividing the Eagles' locker room and the city of Philadelphia.

 

Now McNabb watches from afar as Shockey and Burress already have threatened the Giants' Super Bowl harmony. Both players staged protests at minicamp a week and a half ago. Shockey, who is still recovering from a broken leg, remained in the training room during practices, annoying head coach Tom Coughlin. The tight end, who is upset with his role and contract and would welcome a trade, also got into a shouting match with GM Jerry Reese.

 

Meanwhile, Burress revealed that he is upset with Giants management for not reworking his contract and watched all the practices from the sideline.

 

While the Giants' drama isn't as nasty as Owens' and McNabb's feud, at least not yet, the Eagles quarterback said Big Blue will need strong leadership to quell a potentially explosive situation.

 

"A lot of people learned from my situation and know how to handle it differently," McNabb said. "I tried to do the right things. When it comes to business situations, it's tough. I think the Giants will try to keep it low-key and keep it under wraps. I am anxious to see how it all plays out."

 

The wide receiver-starved McNabb would probably advise the Giants and Reese to pay Burress.

 

"Plax is one of the top wide receivers in the NFL," McNabb said. "He wants to be paid and all these wide receivers are getting new contracts."

 

McNabb, who said his throwing arm is fine after he sat out Eagles' minicamp with shoulder tendinitis, is thrilled that he no longer has to face one of the top defensive ends of all time in Michael Strahan. The quarterback was sacked 12 times in a 16-3 loss at Giants Stadium last year.

 

"Michael and I have had some great battles," McNabb said. "What a better way to go out — win the Super Bowl and walk away. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, especially with as many sacks as I have given him over the last eight years." With Strahan's retirement and the Shockey and Burress predicaments, the Giants' title defense may be off to a rocky start. But McNabb learned that if there is a team that can handle adversity, it's the Giants.

 

"It is not how you start but how you finish," McNabb said of the Giants' run last year. "You want to go into the playoffs playing the best. The Giants definitely did that."

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Michael Strahan takes it slow, enjoys good life of retirement

 

BY MICHAEL O'KEEFFE

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

 

Saturday, June 21st 2008, 10:39 PM

Savulich/News

 

 

 

Michael Strahan burst into the lawyer's airy office like he was busting through an offensive line, threw up his arms and took in the view from the 23rd floor of a Park Ave. skyscraper.

 

His striped dress shirt hanging over his jeans, Strahan stood at the windows and studied Midtown's steel-and-glass canyons before letting out a moan that sounded like he had just finished an especially satisfying meal.

 

"So this is what it is like to be the king," Strahan says, flashing his trademark gap-toothed grin at Marc Dreier, the legal eagle he befriended on a golf course a few years ago.

 

Strahan, of course, knows more about royalty than he lets on: He was the king of the Giants' defense for many years, a player who dominated the game with his ferocity and football savvy for 15 seasons before deciding to call it quits earlier this month.

 

Less than a week after his retirement announcement, Strahan relaxed in his friend Dreier's airy office on a sunny afternoon, talking about the charity golf tournament he's sponsoring with the lawyer's firm later this month - and the next chapter of the Michael Strahan story.

 

So far, life after football is pretty good, Strahan, 36, said in an exclusive and free-wheeling interview with the Daily News.

 

"I was happy when I was up there on stage announcing it," Strahan says of his June 10 retirement press conference. "I realized this was the right thing to do. You see a lot of guys who hung around (too long) and are now not in the best physical shape, so I feel like I'm very fortunate that I'm running away and not limping away.

 

"And I caught the rabbit, you know?" he adds, referring to the Giants' improbable Super Bowl victory over the heavily favored Patriots. "There's no sense in chasing it any more."

 

In the practices right before the game, Strahan says, Super Bowl hero David Tyree couldn't catch a thing and Eli Manning moved like he had two left feet. But Strahan knew the Giants would win because his father, Willie Strahan, said so.

 

"Oh, my dad was on it," Strahan says. "He said it with conviction all week long. It wasn't just a dad thing." Like his Hall of Fame NFL career, Strahan has no master plan, no blueprint to guide him through this next phase of his life. He'll tackle projects because they are fun, because they help others, because he wants the challenge. There are only two things off the table for Strahan's future.

 

"I would never do 'Dancing with the Stars,' " Strahan says, trying to stifle a laugh. "I just picture Emmitt Smith as a football player, and he was a tough player. Then I look and he has some freakin' tassles around his biceps. It's not the same, it's just not the freakin' same."

And unlike Roger Clemens, Michael Jordan and Jerry Rice, Strahan says he's not coming back … unless the Giants offer a lot more than the $8 million they dangled in front of him to return for the 2008 season.

 

"No way, I'm not coming back, don't worry, man, not happening," Strahan says. "But if the Giants offered a million dollars a game? I'm not a fool! You're damn right I'd come back, I'd be like Willis Reed out there every week, limping onto the field for that kind of money. But it's gotta be something utterly ridiculous, like unprecedented."

 

The only topic Strahan shies away from is his new girlfriend, Nicole Murphy. Strahan has been seeing Eddie Murphy's ex-wife for months now, but he makes it clear she's not something he wants to talk about with reporters.

 

Maybe it's because Strahan's divorce with his second wife Jean was so public and so ugly, but the sackmaster wants to keep his private life private. "Where are we going with this, man? Where are we going?" he demands when his blossoming romance comes up.

 

Strahan expects to join an NFL TV broadcast team this fall, and says he's received invaluable advice from Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Joe Theismann and other players who have made the jump from the field to the broadcast booth: Be honest, even when talking about former teammates and friends.

 

"I'm a New York Giant for life without a doubt," Strahan says. "But if the team is not performing or something is not right, then I have to talk about it because that's my job at that point."

 

But Strahan says he can talk on TV about more than just football. Strahan says he may even succeed David Letterman some day, or take up acting.

 

"Why not, man? That would be fun to me because I like interacting with people, I like off-the-cuff stuff," Strahan says.

 

"I don't see leading man roles any time soon," Dreier jabs.

 

"Mark, you're such a hater sometimes," Strahan cracks back. "He's going to be my attorney negotiating my deals when I am a leading man. I could be a leading villain, or at least a sidekick."

 

But before Strahan packs up for Hollywood, he's got to host next week's Michael Strahan/Dreier LLP Charity Golf Tournament, a two-day event that will include a concert by Alicia Keys and an auction on June 29, as well as the golf outing at Century Country Club in Purchase the following day that will include Steve Nash, Julius Erving, Shawne Merriman and Alonzo Mourning.

 

Strahan had to call in old favors to get athletes and celebrities to attend the event the first time it was held, in 2006, but now it is a tough ticket to score.

 

"It puts me under a lot of pressure because I have people going, 'Am I invited to your tournament?' I hate to tell 'em we don't have room, so I refer them to Marc here," Strahan says, flicking his thumb at Dreier.

 

"If I'm onstage with a mic, I'm not going to sit up there and go 'Our next auction item is …' " Strahan says, in a slightly British, definitely uptight accent. "We're gonna joke, we're gonna have fun, we've got to make you enjoy spending your money."

 

One of this year's beneficiaries is Children's Rights, a legal group that advocates on behalf of abused children. The other is Keep a Child Alive, an organization that treats African children with AIDS. Strahan says the plight of HIV-positive children hit home during his recent trip to South Africa.

 

Strahan says seeing Africa close-up was "the most eye-opening experience of my life."

 

"When you're over there, you realize we live a very blessed life here," he says. "We're really spoiled, especially when you're in New York and you believe that you're the center of the universe. You forget that there's billions of people who couldn't care less about who you are."

 

The man who showed no fear on the football field, however, wasn't so bold in the bush.

 

"Hippos kill more people than any other animal, and right by our room was an area they call 'Hippo Alley.' They tell you not to leave your room by yourself. You have to call down and get a guide, but the guide is like 5-2, 98 pounds, with a flashlight. I'm like, 'Dude, you need a gun and about 80 more pounds packed on you.' I was planning on taking that guide and pushing him at the hippo. 'Take him! I'm outta here!'"

 

The best thing about retirement, Strahan says, is that he'll get to spend more time with his family, especially his children. Isabella and Sophia, his twin girls with ex-wife Jean, will turn four in October. Strahan also has teen-aged kids, Tanita and Michael, from his first marriage to Wanda Hutchins Strahan.

 

"When you play, the fact is you squeeze your life into five months of offseason, and in that five months I got a million other things going. That's not fair to them. I'm looking forward to having them year-round," Strahan says. "You know, I don't want to be an absentee pops."

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Giants release Lorenzen and four first-year players

Updated: June 23, 2008, 5:53 PM EST Comment

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Backup quarterback Jared Lorenzen was waived by the New York Giants on Monday, a little more than a month before the Super Bowl champions open training camp.

 

The Giants also waived receiver Todd Lowber, long snapper Nick Leeson, defensive tackle Brian Soi and offensive lineman Jacobs Hobbs — all first-year players.

 

 

Lorenzen's status had been a question mark since the Giants signed veteran David Carr as a free agent and drafted Andre Woodson, who, like Lorenzen, played at Kentucky. With Eli Manning and Anthony Wright also on the roster, the moves left the Giants with five quarterbacks. With the current 80-man training camp roster limit, there was no way the team was going to bring five quarterbacks to camp at the University at Albany.

 

Signed as a free agent in 2004, Lorenzen left the team after minicamp and did not return for personal reasons. The big left-hander rejoined the club in 2005 and spent the past three seasons as a seldom-used backup to Manning.

 

Lorenzen, who battled weight problems, played in four regular season games and one postseason game with the Giants. All eight of his regular-season passes came last season, with four completions for 28 yards. He also used his bulk to rush twice for first downs in short-yardage situations in 2006.

 

Lorenzen was the backup quarterback for two games this past season and third quarterback behind Manning and Wright the rest of the year.

 

Woodson is a little more athletic. He threw for 3,709 yards and 40 touchdowns for the Wildcats last season, hitting 63 percent of his passes.

 

"This was too good to pass up," coach Tom Coughlin said after the Giants used a sixth-round pick to take him. "He was highly rated on our board."

 

The moves leave the Giants with 81 players on their roster, including six unsigned draft choices.

 

Lowber had two stints on the Giants' practice squad last season. The former Ramapo College basketball player was originally signed by Minnesota as a free agent.

 

Leeson played in two preseason games for the Baltimore Ravens last year.

 

Soi played in four preseason games for the Miami Dolphins in 2007.

 

Hobbs played in four preseason games for the Philadelphia Eagles last year. He was also the first University at Albany player signed by the Giants.

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Giants sign Snee to $43.5M extension

Updated: June 25, 2008, 6:40 PM EST 21 comments

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - The New York Giants guaranteed that their offensive line will stay together for the foreseeable future, signing guard Chris Snee on Wednesday to a six-year, $43.5 million contract extension.

 

Snee, 26, will earn nearly $24 million in the first three years of the deal, agent Tony Agnone said.

 

 

The extension will keep the right guard under contract with the Super Bowl champions through 2014.

 

Since beating the New England Patriots for the NFL title in February, the Giants have locked up three starters on the offensive line. Left tackle David Diehl got a two-year extension last month that will keep him under contract through 2013 and pay him $31 million. Left guard Rich Seubert also got a new contract through 2013.

 

Right tackle Kareem McKenzie and center Shaun O'Hara are under contract through 2012.

 

"Chris thought re-signing everyone was important," Agnone said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "They can have a cohesive unit for a while now."

 

The signing will also keep the family happy. Snee is the son-in-law of coach Tom Coughlin. The Giants rewarded the coach after the Super Bowl with a four-year contract worth $21 million.

 

"I am just happy to have it done before the season and really just have peace of mind and not worry about it and go out and play," Snee said. "I had faith that it would be done."

 

A former second-round draft pick, Snee has started all 59 regular-season and six postseason games that he has played for the Giants. The former Boston College product has started 48 consecutive regular-season games. He missed the final five games of his rookie season because of an inflamed gland under his jaw.

 

"We are very pleased to get Chris extended," general manager Jerry Reese said. "He has been a tremendous player and person for us since day one. It's also very important to keep our offensive line intact."

 

The Giants scored 373 points, their fifth-highest total in franchise history, last season. New York averaged 134.3 yards rushing, fourth best in the league.

 

The Giants also acquired guard Kurt Quarterman off waivers from the Atlanta Falcons. He spent most of last season on the Falcons' practice squad.

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