Giant Football Blog

Giants hail new faces

- Three players most affected by the way the Giants went about their draft business yesterday pushed aside the threats to their own jobs and were unanimous in their vocal support of the newly-imported talent.

The selection of safety Kenny Phillips in the first round has a direct bearing on incumbent starter James Butler. The pickup in the third round of receiver Mario Manningham can be seen as a knock on third-year Sinorice Moss. The sixth-round addition of quarterback Andre' Woodson is likely the death-knell for the Giants career of Jared Lorenzen. Yet seldom was heard a discouraging word. Continue

Giants' Sinorice Moss playing catch-up

Sinorice Moss figured to be the odd man out when the Giants drafted another receiver on Sunday. But the disappointing third-year pro warned everyone Tuesday not to count him out. "I need to wake some people up," Moss said. "That's what I really need to do. I've been on the shelf. So I'm ready to come out here and shock the world. That's what I plan to do."  Continue

Former coach Lloyd Carr says Mario Manningham is Giant bargain

Mario Manninghame is a "good person" who has made some bad mistakes, but his former college coach believes the newest Giants receiver is determined to turn around his life and his career.

Lloyd Carr, the former Michigan coach who spent three seasons with the Giants' third-round draft pick, told the Daily News Monday he's confident Manningham won't be any trouble in New York. Carr added that the rookie's past troubles were the result of youth and some bad advice, and he's "hopeful" he learned his lessons well. Continue

Super Mario

Giants GM Jerry Reese was eager to extol the physical virtues of Mario Manningham, the receiver from Michigan selected by Big Blue yesterday in the third round of the NFL Draft. "I'm telling you," Reese said, "you guys are going to say 'Wow, this guy has got the stuff.' "

Manningham's athletic value was not first and foremost on anyone's mind, which is why Reese fielded repeated questions as to the character issues that sully the receiver's reputation and make this particular pick one to keep an eye on. Continue

Meet the new Giants

Kenny Phillips, S, Miami, 6-2, 213, 31st overall

Widely regarded as the top safety in the nation. Three-year starter for the Hurricanes who entered the draft after his junior year. Excellent athlete with superior coverage skills. Not known as a huge hitter and had only seven INTs in his career. ? Fits in either safety spot and the Giants New York Giants believe he can play certain receivers as a cornerback.

Terrell Thomas, CB, USC, 6-1, 202, 63rd overall

Started all 26 games past two years for powerful Trojans. Good size, long arms, good speed (4.52) but has history of injury problems. Eight career INTs. Is said not to be afraid to "jaw" with opposing receivers. (NY Post)

Giants select S Kenny Phillips in 1st round

In a move anticipated by many, the Giants have selected Miami S Kenny Phillips with the 31st pick in the NFL Draft. The pick addresses an area of need for the team, which lost Gibril Wilson to the Raiders via free agency. Phillips barely became the fourth Miami safety selected in the first round this decade. The others were Ed Reed, Brandon Meriweather and the late Sean Taylor.

The 6-2, 212-pound Phillips, who had seven interceptions in three seasons with the Hurricanes, has good speed (4.55-second 40-yard dash), solid range, good tackling ability, great hands and shows good awareness. Basically, the former corner has everything you want from your safety. Continue

Draft Shock-er

There seemingly should be little pressure on Jerry Reese, who a year ago in his first full season as general manager of the Giants assembled a sterling draft class and then made several subtle moves that helped build a Super Bowl champion. Today, as the first two rounds of the NFL Draft come and go, Reese is sitting pretty, even though the Giants own the 31st overall pick, last in the first round. After all, he had a spectacular debut.

"No, this league is, 'What have you done for me lately?' " Reese countered. "All we have to do is go out there and lose a couple of games and we will all be dumb and the coach will be dumb and I will be dumb and the quarterback will be a bust. Last year is over with, and we are just trying to start over and build this team toward another championship." Continue

Shockey could be part of draft-day blockbuster

This weekend, hundreds of players will be anxiously awaiting to see which NFL uniform they'll be wearing next year. Most of them are college players. One of them is Jeremy Shockey. And if recent rumblings are accurate, there's no guarantee he'll be wearing Giants blue come September. Then again, there's no guarantee he won't.

The Giants continue to field offers for their injured four-time Pro Bowl tight end, according to someone who speaks to members of the front office on a regular basis. The person, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak about the Shockey situation, said the recent offers, which have been made by multiple, unspecified teams, haven't been good enough for the Giants to even consider trading Shockey. Continue

Osi Umenyiora scraps idea of holdout

The Giants have plenty of issues to deal with between now and opening night, but Osi Umenyiora won't be one of them. The Pro Bowl defensive end, who admittedly was pondering a training camp holdout to force the Giants to give him a raise, announced Thursday that he'll be in camp on time this summer. That doesn't mean he's happy with the six-year, $41 million contract extension he signed in 2005, but he said, "Right now it's not the time for me to try and do anything crazy like that.

"To be honest with you, whenever you see players who you don't feel are as good as yourself getting paid the way they're getting paid now, of course you're going to have questions," Umenyiora said. "But I'm definitely not going to hold out. I don't think it's the right time." Continue

Giants get picky over Jeremy Shockey

Eli Manning called it "a stupid theory" when he was asked during the week before Super Bowl XLII if the Giants were there because Jeremy Shockey wasn't. Most of his teammates and coaches agreed. But not all of them.

According to various team and NFL sources, there were more than a few people inside the Giants organization who at least wondered whether the absence of Shockey - who broke his leg in Week 15 - was beneficial to Manning's development. The sidelines were suddenly quieter and less volatile, and Manning did not feel he had to get Shockey the ball early so his tight end wouldn't stomp and sulk. Continue

Giants' first pick must blend in with champions

In some ways, it might be easier to be the first pick than the last when it comes to first-rounders. Jake Long, already signed by the Dolphins, will play for a team coming off a 1-15 season and without particularly high goals. Whomever the Giants take with the 31st selection, however, becomes part of a defending Super Bowl champion.

Long will be allowed to develop with the program at a reasonable pace. The Giants' pick will be asked to step in immediately and help keep the team at a championship level. He'll also have to blend into team chemistry that was forged during a remarkable postseason run. In the spring of 1991, after the Giants won Super Bowl XXV, they drafted fullback Jarrod Bunch. Now an actor in Los Angeles after injuries forced the .Giants to cut him after three years, Bunch said his experience of joining the champions was strenuous and made all the more difficult by Bill Parcells' departure three weeks after the draft. Continue

Seattle pursuing Jeremy Shockey

If the Giants decide to trade Jeremy Shockey this week, it won't necessarily be to the Saints. Whether the Saints or Seahawks up the ante between now and the start of the draft on Saturday will likely determine whether the Giants make the bold move to dump the 27-year-old Shockey, who has been expressing his frustrations with the Giants to his friends this offseason. According to team sources, the Giants aren't actively trying to trade him, but they are listening to offers and have discussed the possibility.

Some in the organization are convinced Shockey will be traded before the first day of the draft is over, although most sources have indicated it could go either way, depending on how high the offers go.One source also indicated that other teams have expressed an interest in Shockey, although none more than the Seahawks and Saints. The source did not say who those teams were, but one possibility is the Atlanta Falcons, who are looking to replace tight end Alge Crumpler. The Falcons, by the way, have three second-round picks (34th, 37th and 48th). Continue

Giants picking TE would be a real shock

It will come as little surprise if the Giants, with the 31st pick in Saturday's NFL draft, take a player at any one of six positions: any of four spots on defense other than defensive end, receiver or offensive tackle. Given that there is seemingly no need at tight end and there may not be a single tight end available in the draft that warrants a first-round selection, going in that direction would be a shocker for the Giants. Of course, this could change in the unlikely event Jeremy Shockey is traded.

Without Shockey, the job would fall to Kevin Boss, who is entering his second year with the Giants, and who yesterday said he believes he could handle a starting job."I think I can," he said, "but I think Jeremy will be back. We all want him back, especially as a tight-end group. I felt like I learned a ton from him this year." Continue

David Tyree has knee surgery, may miss start of training camp

The last catch David Tyree made was one of the greatest in Super Bowl history. Now he is going to have to wait awhile for his next one. Tyree, who made the spectacular one-handed, helmet-aided grab on the Giants' Super Bowl winning drive, had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last week and will be out of action at least until training camp begins in late July. And even though he promised he'll be "100% for the start of training camp," his recovery could take a little longer. Continue

Safety net

One well-connected player agent recently spoke with three teams heading into this weekend's NFL Draft. All three compiled a mock draft to get a better feel for who might go where and all three had the Giants with the 31st overall pick taking Miami safety Kenny Phillips.

Intrigued, the agent fished around a little more, as these teams might have merely been going with the rote formula that the Giants lost a safety (Gibril Wilson) in free agency and, despite signing veteran Sammy Knight, need to add another one. Continue

Giants might use 1st pick on a linebacker

When the Giants lined up on defense in the Super Bowl, Reggie Torbor and Kawika Mitchell were the two outside linebackers. When the Giants line up to begin the defense of their title in September, the two will be on other teams.

With no clearly defined starters on either side of middle linebacker Antonio Pierce - defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka is penciled in as a strong-side linebacker for now and Danny Clark and Gerris Wilkinson should compete for playing time on the weak side - the Giants could be looking to fill vacancies in what some consider to be the impact positions in the scheme. Continue

Eli calls honeymoon audible

MVP stood for Married and Very Pleased on Sunday as Giants star Eli Manning and his bride, Abby McGrew, kicked off their honeymoon. The couple began their first full day as husband and wife having breakfast with many of the 60 guests who witnessed their Baja beach wedding Saturday.

But after saying goodbye to friends and loved ones, the newlyweds pulled a surprise. They had originally planned to stay at the Mexican resort for a few more days, but changed the play at the last minute like a quarterback calling an audible. Continue

Giants on the clock

At the time, there really was no overwhelming reason to believe the first draft class in the Jerry Reese era would be a classic. There were needs addressed one year ago, safe picks early in cornerback Aaron Ross and receiver Steve Smith and a few later risks with tight end Kevin Boss and running back Ahmad Bradshaw.

Ten months later, the Giants New York Giants were crowned Super Bowl champions, and they wouldn't have come close without the contributions of a precocious group of rookies. Continue

Jeremy Shockey trade waves

There's no reason for the Giants to even think about trading Jeremy Shockey. Now that Eli Manning is a Super Bowl MVP, Shockey has lost his leverage in crying for the ball or throwing his hands up in the air when Manning sails one over his head.

Shockey's a playmaker and it’s not as if the Giants are loaded with firepower. As long as Shockey doesn’t pull a Chad Johnson, then the Giants should keep him. The Saints are willing to give up a second-round pick. If they throw in another quality pick, the Giants are really going to be tempted. Continue

Shockey wants new role or trade

The prevailing theory regarding the Giants and Jeremy Shockey is the team learned during its Super Bowl run they no longer need the Pro Bowl tight end. Truth is, Shockey made the first move toward a separation. And he did so before the playoffs even began.

Shockey told the Giants in December he wanted a changed role in the offense or a trade to another team, according to a person familiar with discussions between Shockey, the Giants' coaching staff and front office. The person, who requested anonymity because he isn't authorized to speak on behalf of Shockey or the Giants, said Shockey threatened to sit out the upcoming season if neither request was granted.

Shockey, 27, who suffered a broken fibula in a Dec. 16 loss to the Redskins, feels his career is being cut short by all the blocking he has been asked to do since Tom Coughlin became coach of the Giants in 2004. While blocking is an integral part of a tight end's job description, Shockey believes he was more effective as a receiver under former coach Jim Fassel and offensive coordinator Sean Payton, now the coach of the New Orleans Saints, who are interested in trading for Shockey. Continue

Jeremy Shockey OK with trade talk

Jeremy Shockey has not formally demanded a trade from the Giants, but he has made it very clear he wouldn't be upset if it happened, either.The brash tight end, who missed the Giants' championship run with a broken leg, has been sounding off for more than a month about his frustrations with the Giants, according to NFL sources. And he has told friends he would welcome a trade to the New Orleans Saints, who made an offer for him last month.

But while Giants GM Jerry Reese admitted yesterday that he has had "conversations" with other teams about trading Shockey, he also said he is not shopping his tight end. "Anything can happen in personnel," he said. "But right now, Jeremy Shockey is our starting tight end and we're looking forward for him to be back on the field for us this fall." Continue

Giants GM Strahan up in air; not shopping Shockey

Jerry Reese yesterday discussed pending decisions regarding the fates of Michael Strahan and Jeremy Shockey, only one of which he controls directly. The Giants' general manager said he does not expect Strahan to make a decision on whether he will return to play in 2008 before next weekend's draft.

"We would like for Michael to make a decision before then, but I don't think that would happen," Reese said. "He deserves to take whatever time he needs to take. Sooner is better for us, but it's not going to weigh on any decisions on what we are going to do in the draft." Reese said Strahan's mind could take much longer to make up. "We would like to know before training camp," he said. "He will make a decision before then, I think." Continue

Jint guest list a smokescreen

A year ago, it was no great shocker that the Giants with their first-round pick in the NFL Draft selected Aaron Ross , given it was fairly obvious the team was looking for help at cornerback and Ross was highly-regarded at that position.

The pick made sense but took Ross by surprise. Several teams expressed strong pre-draft interest in Ross, but the Giants were not among those teams. They didn't even invite him for a visit. The Giants had a conviction about Ross and saw no need to advertise that belief, not even to Ross himself. Continue

Giants to kick off title defense with string of home games

The Giants powered their way to the Super Bowl championship with a record run on the road, but they're going to begin their title defense with a string of games at home. The champs will play three of their first four games at Giants Stadium, where they were a dismal 3-5 last season. They haven't won at home since Oct. 21 against the 49ers. After that, they lost their last four in a row.

They'll get a chance to break that skid when they play host to the Washington Redskins on Sept. 4, in the Thursday night opener reserved for the Super Bowl champs. They'll also play host to the Cincinnati Bengals Sept. 21 and the Seattle Seahawks Oct. 5, a week after their Week 4 bye. The rest of their home slate includes games against the Niners (Oct. 19), the Dallas Cowboys (Nov.2), the Baltimore Ravens (Nov. 16), the Philadelphia Eagles (Dec. 7) and the Carolina Panthers (Dec. 21). Continue

Giants schedule 2008

9/4 7:00 PM ET NBC Washington

9/14 1:00 PM ET FOX @ St. Louis

9/21 1:00 PM ET CBS Cincinnati

9/28 BYE

10/5 1:00 PM ET FOX Seattle

10/13 8:30 PM ET ESPN @ Cleveland

10/19 1:00 PM ET FOX San Francisco

10/26 4:15 PM ET FOX @ Pittsburgh

11/2 4:15 PM ET FOX Dallas

11/9 8:15 PM ET NBC @ Philadelphia

11/16 1:00 PM ET* CBS Baltimore

11/23 4:15 PM ET* FOX @ Arizona

11/30 1:00 PM ET* FOX @ Washington

12/7 1:00 PM ET* FOX Philadelphia

12/14 8:15 PM ET* NBC @ Dallas

12/21 1:00 PM ET* FOX Carolina

12/28 1:00 PM ET* FOX @ Minnesota

*flex game

Michael Strahan won't commit to return

Michael Strahan had his annual meeting with the Giants general manager last week, but he told Jerry Reese that he's not yet ready to make any decisions about his future.

That meeting, which was first reported by the NFL Network, was confirmed by a team source and it apparently lasted for about an hour at Giants Stadium, just a few days after Strahan returned from his African vacation. The 36-year-old defensive end had said he hoped to make up his mind whether or not he wants to retire before the NFL Draft. The draft is now just 12 days away Continue

Champion sparkplug

So captivating was the Giants' remarkable run to glory in Super Bowl XLII that the difficult road traversed to get them there is often overlooked or forgotten completely. Leave it to Eli Manning, as grounded and mature a 27-year-old as you're going to find, to remind everyone of the journey.

"You can't look at just the last four games and say, 'This is who we are,' " Manning said Friday after a workout at Giants Stadium. "You got to look at the whole season. Last year, if you look at some of the games, we were almost fortunate to make it into the playoffs in the first place. We got a lot to improve on." Continue

Shock not on block

As usual, Jeremy Shockey is not at Giants Stadium this time of year. "Pretty much protocol for the offseason for him, to be training on his own and doing his own thing," center Shaun O'Hara said yesterday.

No one around the Giants expects to see Shockey much or at all until the June 11-13 mandatory veteran mini-camp and his working out in Miami is no longer the source of any legitimate controversy. But whether Shockey returns for his seventh season with the Giants has been a point of conjecture ever since the Giants won the Super Bowl without him, and the Saints tried to trade for the four-time Pro Bowl tight end. "There's always rumors about everything," Eli Manning said. Continue

NY Giants waive DT Wright

Manny Wright was waived yesterday after the team gave the troubled defensive tackle one season to prove he could remain focused and in shape. According to two people familiar with the Giants' reason for the transaction, Wright did the exact opposite by being overweight for much of last season and by heading back to California earlier this week after only one week of participation in the Giants' offseason workouts.

Wright, originally selected in the fifth round of the 2005 supplemental draft by the Dolphins, is most remembered as the player who cried as he left the field after being berated by former Miami coach Nick Saban. Wright has battled off-field issues and has reportedly suffered from depression. He missed all of the 2006 season after taking a leave of absence from the Dolphins in the preseason. Continue

Giants to work out a few locals

The Giants will bring in and work out a handful of local draft hopefuls on Friday, though most of them (if not all) will probably be undrafted free agents. There will be no RB Ray Rice or OL Jeremy Zuttah, who will both likely give Rutgers their second and third first-day picks in the past two drafts. Rice has no visit scheduled with the Giants as of now while Zuttah had a private workout with the team three weeks ago, according to his agent. Continue

Super rematch set for preseason

The Giants and Patriots will meet for the first time since Super Bowl XLII when they face each other in late August at Giants Stadium in the preseason finale.

The game hardly will be a rematch of the Giants' 17-14 win in Arizona in early February, since few regulars play much in the fourth preseason game, but it's one of the highlights of the short schedule released yesterday. The Giants will open the preseason in Charlotte against the Carolina Panthers, before playing host to the Cleveland Browns and then playing "at" the Jets. Continue

Tom Coughlin's changes fit for a title

Tom Coughlin invited Eli Manning into his office for a chat recently. They each had the smiles that have been on their faces permanently since the night of Feb.3 in Phoenix. Of course, there was even more reason to be in a good mood. They had just finished up a meeting with Tiffany & Co. to discuss the design of the Giants' Super Bowl rings.

"Eli was coming down by the office, so I just said, 'Stop in,' so he stopped in and we talked for a couple of minutes," an extremely relaxed Coughlin said at the league meetings on Wednesday. "I think as he was going out the door he said something to the effect, 'You know, this is pretty good. I think we ought to do this again.' Off he went." Continue

First look at Giants' new ring

Giant win. Giant rings. The Super Bowl victors unveiled the design of their diamond-encrusted championship rings Tuesday, an impressive bit of bling that reflects the enormity of their upset over the formerly undefeated Patriots. "It was a huge win," said center Sean O'Hara, one of four players who provided input on the design. "So the ring should be designed accordingly." And it was.

The top of the Giant-sized rings features three Super Bowl trophies, one for each of the team's championships. The score of Super Bowl 42 (Giants 17, Patriots 14) is engraved on one side, with "Eleven Straight on the Road" - the NFL record set by the Giants last season - etched on the other. Continue

Osi Umenyiora holds out hope for raise from Giants

The defending Super Bowl champions opened their offseason workout program Monday without several key players, including defensive end Osi Umenyiora, whose absence could last deep into the summer. According to a source close to Umenyiora, he is considering a lengthy holdout if the Giants don't agree to renegotiate his contract, which is not due to expire until after the 2012 season. That holdout could include part of training camp, which begins in late July. Continue

Giants return to work

The last time the Giants were together en masse, they were getting showered by confetti in a wild and emotional ticker-tape parade along the Canyon of Heroes, an honor befitting their extraordinary triumph over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

What took place yesterday was far more mundane, but certainly important, as much of the team attended the start of the voluntary offseason workout program at Giants Stadium. "It is good to get back to start lifting and doing things together because this is what got us to where we were last year," left tackle David Diehl said. Continue