Summer Update

Happy Summer Everyone.

I tend not to get over-excited this time of year. That is why there is a lack of updates. But I will sum up the recent events quickly.

The Giants had rookie mini-camp, OTAs & mini-camp. Not much to get worked up about. There is no contact. Players are not really in football shape. You always hear about how good players look (i.e. Sinorice Moss), but whatever he does now doesn't matter. He needs to produce once the season starts. During the OTAs & mini-camp, every beat writer kept reporting how good he looked, until he got hurt. So while it is exciting to hear some football news, I can't really got too pumped up for it.

The best news I saw was that Osi Umenyiora was back on the field. He was looking good (at first a little rusty). What I really like is that his kneed injury has forced him to work out his legs, something he has never done. And now he feels that he is faster than he's ever been. Watch out McNabb.

By far the worst news is that our newest LB, Michael Boley just had hip surgery. This is something that you hate to see, especially for someone new to the team. This will hamper his learning of the system & getting in sync with the other players on the field. The only good thing about it is that it did not happen during the course of the regular season. He underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum & should be back in 8-10 weeks. The only other good thing about this injury is that Bryan Kehl & Gerris Wilkinson will get more reps at the WLB position. Kehl impressed me in limited action as a rookie last year. Wilikinson, although very athletic, has failed to make much of an impact.

Half of the 2009 rookie class has been signed. This is about where we should be. Usually the first ones to sign are the players that were selected in the middle & at the end of the draft. I would not be concerned about the unsigned players until a week or so before training camp.

draft picks signed:

Barden

Brown

Bomar

Wright

Woodson

draft picks still unsigned:

Nicks

Sintim

Beatty
Beckum

WRs - How will they fare?

One of the biggest storyline heading into the 2009 season will be the lack of experience of our wide receiver group. With Amani Toomer not being re-signed & Plaxico Burress's release, the Giants are left with the following:

a 7 year vet who 54 career receptions (in the regular season) who is known for his special teams play & perhaps the greatest catch in Super Bowl history.
a 4th year small receiver with 38 career receptions who has been labled a bust.
a 3rd year receiver who has played primarily in the slot who has 65 career regular season receptions.
a 2nd year player with 4 receptions
a 4 year veteran who was only a receiver for the last 2 years with 44 career receptions in the regular season
and 2 rookies

The 5 veterans have a total of 9 regular season receiving TDs.

However there is a lot of competition at this camp. Hixon & Smith are penciled in at the starters, but I feel the starting jobs are up for grabs. The problem is that there is a lot of potential in this group, but not much NFL production. Hakeem Nicks is a 1st rounder (2009). Sinorice Moss (2006) & Steve Smith (2007) are 2nd round picks. Mario Manningham (2008) & Ramses Barden (2009) are 3rd rounders.

My take is the WRs are going to have good games & bad games. Games where they make plays and games that they seem lost. I think Hakeem Nicks & Mario Manningham have the most upside of the group. Having said this, the Giants are still a running team. The Giants don't need a Larry Fitzgerald-type WR to win games. The New York Football Giants are all about running you over & then when you are worn out, we will run right by you.

Some good articles on the 2009 Giants receiving corps are listed below.

Young receivers giving New York Giants lots of options

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2009/05/young_receivers_giving_new_yor.html

The Domenik Hixon inverview

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfceast/0-10-42/The-Domenik-Hixon-interview.html


Manningham ready for breakout season for Giants

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/ny-spgiants0312833537jun02,0,1678752.story


Manning adjusting to new-look WR corps

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfceast/0-11-6/Manning-adjusting-to-new-look-WR-corps.html


Q&A with ... Giants WR Hakeem Nicks

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=556113

a look at the off-season moves by the other NFC East teams

All is quiet in Giants-land. Below I will break-down what has our NFC East rivals have done since SuperBowl XLIII.


WASHINGTON REDSKINS

re-signed CB DeAngelo Hall: UFA; $54M/6 yrs, $22.5M guaranteed.

acquired

DT Albert Haynesworth UFA Titans; $100M/7 yrs, $5M SB/$41M guaranteed.

re-acquired

OG Derrick Dockery: FA Bills; $26M/5 yrs, $8.2M guaranteed.

notable draft picks:

Brian Orakpo DE - round 1

Kevin Barnes CB - round 3

a couple of LBs in the middle

My take: Washington didn't really address their aging and inconsistant OL, still is lacking playmaking receivers unless 2nd year guys Devin Thomas or Malcolm Kelly show something. They have no RB depth behind Portis. They also could have also used an upgrade at SS & SAM. Once again this will be a tough team as they are a bitter rival with a physical defense, but they are not any better offensively. Haynesworth will help improve the middle of the front seven, but he is the team's only true pass-rusher. Orakpo has a good chance of becoming a good DE, but probably not for a year or two.

DALLAS COWBOYS

acquired

LB Keith Brooking

QB Jon Kitna

DE Igor Olshansky

S Gerald Sensabaugh

lost

DE Chris Canty

CB Anthony Henry

LB Zach Thomas

LB Greg Ellis*

* It appears that Greg Ellis is going to be released or traded

let go

WR Terrell Owens

S Roy Williams

notable draft picks:

(no day 1 selections)

Jason Williams LB - round 3

Michael Hamlin S - round 5

Mike Mickents CB - round 7 (could be a steal, projected as a mid-round pick)

My take: Only "real change" is the departure of Owens. The team is hoping that it is "addition by subtraction." Kitna is good insurance if Romo gets hurt or decides to take up golf full-time http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4160904. It was very surprising that Dallas did not draft another WR. I guess it's time that Patrick Crayton put the money where his (big) mouth is. This is now Romo's team. Can he be a good leader? Can he play as well in the winter as he does in the fall?

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

acquired

OT Stacey Andrews

CB Ellis Hobbs

S Sean Jones

OT Jason Peters

FB Leonard Weaver

lost

RB Correll Buckhalter

S Sean Considine

S Brian Dawkins

CB Lito Sheppard

TE L.J. Smith

OT Tra Thomas

notable draft picks:

Jeremy Maclin WR - round 1

LeSean McCoy RB - round 2

Cornelius Ingram TE - round 5

Victor Harris CB - round 5

Fenuki Tupou T - round 5

My take: The Eagles had a productive off-season. They now have two new OTs who are in the prime of their careers. Jason Peters had a down year last year. Can he return to form? Maclin is a speedy WR, but can he make an impact as a rookie? McCoy is a Westbrook clone, which is not a bad thing, but the Eagles could have used a big, bruising RB. Can Sean Jones replace the ever-present Briab Dawkins? The rest of the NFC East is happy to see him gone. If McNabb can stay healthy, a playoff spot should easily be obtained. And as he will be 33 this year, his window of opportunity for a SuperBowl victory will be closing soon.

Giants rookie camp wrap-up

Well the Giants rookies, undrafted rookie tryouts, and various veteran vagabounds rapped up the "rookie" mini camp. Keep in mind that this is only a rookie camp & the competition is not what it will be come September, there were several bright spots.

Both rookie WRs looked good. Hakeem Nicks was very sharp & Ramses Barden seemed to get better each practice. Barden still needs to do a better job getting an initial burst.

Rhett Bomar looked impressive & will give Andre Woodson a competition for the 3rd QB spot. Neither may play this year as David Carr is Eli Manning's back-up. But it is important to groom one as who knows how long Carr will be here.

One of the surprises is undrafted DE Maurice Evans. He really has a motor & was in the backfield on every play. If he keeps it up, he may end up taking Dave Tollefson's place on the 53 man roster. Evans was a productive player as a sophomore, but got into trouble before his junior year & was benched. He decided to enter the draft anyway.

Another undrafted rookie to keep an eye on is safety Sha'reff Rashad to grab the last (4th) safety spot.

Coming soon, roster battles, more player news, e-mails from around the web

Giants new from around the web

Hello Giants Nation. I found some interesting stuff on different websites.

First of all, the Giants rookies (drafted & non-drafted) have a mini-camp starting tomorrow. See below link & excerpt from Ralph Vacchiano Blue Screen Blog.

"The rookies are coming! The rookies are coming! They’ll be checking in Thursday night and hit the NFL fields outside Giants Stadium for the first time at 10:10 a.m. on Friday. They’ll practice twice Friday and twice Saturday, before being discharged sometime on Sunday.

The camp, as you know, is not for veterans, but it will include the entire Class of 2009, and all the undrafted free agents and tryout players. Speaking of that, the UDFA/tryout list has been updated several times, and probably will be updated again before Friday, so keep clicking back on that link."

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/giants/2009/05/irvin-floored-giants-didnt-get.html

Finally some more info on 6th round CB, DeAndre Wright. Thank you Mike Garafolo for the good story. I like this kid's toughness.

http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2009/05/new_york_giants_rookie_cornerb.html

I found another article where Al Groh praises the 3 players the Giants selected who played in the ACC. The praise for his own player (Clint Sinton), is no surprise, but it means a lot more when you praise players without a bias.

"Al Groh Virginia's coach on two other Giants picks from the ACC-- Hakeem Nicks and Andre Brown, both of whom played in the ACC

Groh’s Virginia team played North Carolina this year and won, 16-13, in overtime. Nicks had six receptions for 90 yards in that game.

“He’s a terrific player,” Groh said. “He’s physical, very physical. He’s athletic. He makes not just speed plays but really athletic catches. He’s got terrific body control, he’s an aggressive after-the-catch runner. We found him to very versatile in the routes he could run, whether it be intermediate or vertical routes. A very highly competitive player. He was, from our perspective, probably the biggest game-changer in our conference last year.”

Because of the revolving schedule in the ACC Virginia did not play NC State this year, but Groh said he’d been a fan of Brown’s since he recruited him out of high school.

“I always thought he was a very talented player who got sidetracked for a while there by injuries,” Groh said. “They have a few other good running backs there and as I recall during that timeframe when he was injured some other guys stepped up and did a good job so it was difficult to get some of his carries back. But he’s a talented player. We were always impressed by him.”"

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/football/giants/blog/2009/04/al_groh_on_clint_sintim.html

Lastly, here is a good article on the salary cap situation for the G-Men. Pat Traina is always good with the numbers.

http://trainathought.insidefootball.com/2009/05/crunching-numbers-a-projected-update-on-the-giants-salary-cap.html

Upon further review...

I did some more research (reading & video watching) on the new Giants and have some more analysis. I have listed good traits (+), bad traits (-) and made comparisons when possible.

Hakeen Nicks

+ tough, strong, well built

+ played in a "pro-form" offense

+ considered one of the most "NFL-ready" WRs

+ good hands, BIG hands (size 4 XL)

+ good route runner, will go over the middle to make the tough catch

- not a burner (good, but not great speed)

- not an NFL veteran - while he may be great, how much can he help the G-Men this year? The Giants are now in a position to win the SuperBowl with their defense and running game, but will the lack of a proven veteran receiver hold them back? He may or may not become a true #1 receiver, but we need him or someone else (i.e. Manningham, Hixon) to stretch the field to keep the defense honest).

NFL comparison - A lot of people are saying Anquan Boldin, my comparison is Michael Irvin (hopefully just on the field).

Clint Sinton

+ 4 year productive starter

+ tough, strong, good size

+ excels at getting to the QB

+ good run stuffer

- no experience in the 4-3 defense

- not much experience in coverage

- not overly fast

Looks like he will be eased into the SAM role. You can never have too many pass-rushers, right?

NFL comparison - Calvin Pace. Calvin is a big, physical LB in the Jets 3-4. He excels at getting to the QB & is a good run stuffer.

William Beatty

+ athletic

+ quick feet

- only started 2 years at UConn

- good height, but must get stronger

- seemed to rely on his athletic ability instead of toughness

Will he be able to handle the physicality of the NFL? Will have time to be groomed unless injuries ravage our offensive line. Hopefully, he will learn to play with the aggressiveness that our offensive line has demonstrated.

NFL comparison - not really sure at the moment. dare I mention Luke Pettigout

Ramses Barden

+ tall, long arms, big hands

+ good production, 18 TDs both junior and senior year

+ physical presence, good blocker

- does not have great speed

- does not get good separation

- college competition was not good

A definite mis-match problem for defenders. A definite target in the red-zone. DBs can know the fade route is coming, but if they are half a foot shorter, can they stop it? Played against inferior competition, but dominated. How quickly can he learn the playbook/get on the field?

NFL comparison - none really, but everyone will mention Plaxico Burress. Slightly taller than Plaxico, but not the athlete or prospect that Plaxico was when he came out of Michigan State.

Travis Beckum

+ fast for a TE

+ good hands/receiver

+ god route runner

- not a good blocker

- coming off a shortened senior year in which he broke is leg (fibula)

Can be a unique weapon for our offense. He offers a completely different look than Kevin Boss. Can our offensive coaches use him well? Can he handle the physical nature of being an NFL tight end? Can he co-exist with Kevin Boss?

NFL comparison - a smaller Chris Cooley. These guys are more of your H-back then TE. Both can create mis-matches for defenses as they are faster than linebackers.

Andre Brown

+ strong, can move the pile (like Derrick Ward)

+ good receiver out of the backfield (like Derrick Ward)

+ good pass blocker (like Derrick Ward)

- injured quite often (like Derrick Ward)

- never a full-time starter in college. Probably will never be a feature back in the NFL, but has a lot of tools and can excel here behind our great run blockers.

NFL comparison - Derrick Ward (surprise, surprise). Just about the same height, weight & speed (AB is 6", 224 & 4.46 & DW is 5.11, 228 & similar speed). Both are primarily between the tackles runners, with deceptive speed & strength. Both are good receivers & blockers. Both come with multiple past injuries

Rhett Bomar

+ strong arm

+ can make all the throws

+ tough kid

- kicked off the Oklahoma team

- needs to make better decisions

- not accurate (completion percentage was under 60% at a lower level)

A project. He seems like he has the skills, but need work on his technique and his decision-making. Some have questioned how coachable he is/will be.

NFL comparison - J.P. Losman - Strong arm, athletic & mobile, but both need to make better (& quicker) decisions. Both need to mature to succeed in the NFL

DeAndre Wright

+ tough player, battles through injuries

+ has experience as a CB, FS & returner

- not overly tall or fast

- overly aggressive

not enough info to make NFL comparison

Stoney Woodson

+ Giants personnel liked his speed

- Didn't make much of an impact at a weak division 1 school

not enough info to make NFL comparison

Thoughts and Reactions to the Draft

The Giants clearly addressed most of their needs through the draft this weekend, while still managing to draft from among the best available players when their turn came up. The only area of need they didn't immediately address was safety, and I'm not sure if this is because they plan on moving Terrell Thomas back to safety, or they just couldn't find anyone of value when their picks came around. Picking Hakeem Nicks was a no-brainer if the Giants weren't planning on moving anywhere from the 29th overall pick. He's a polished route runner, something Eli Manning desperately needs, with solid hands. Outside of Michael Crabtree, Nicks may be the most out-of-the-box NFL ready WR in the draft. Does that mean he'll be the #1 WR from day one? No, not necessarily. But considering the Giants receiving corps, it's certainly possible.

When the first round ended and both James Laurinaitis and Rey Maualuga were still on the board, I was holding my breath, expecting to see the Giants names appear as they moved up about 10 spots or so to grab one of these guys (Maualuga being one of my favorite LB prospects), and they didn't. I have a feeling the Giants brass might have made a few inquiries, perhaps with the Rams (I think Spagnuolo would probably be a good trading partner), but since the Rams apparently were trying to trade back into round one for Laurinaitis, there was no way they would move down and let us snag their player. Instead the Giants ended up picking Clint Sintim, who I wasn't very familiar with before the pick was made. Afterwards, I have become cautiously optimistic. As an OLB in a 3-4 defense, Sintim made a living as an excellent pass rusher. I love seeing the Giants defense swarm all over an opposing QB as much as any other Giants fan, but we are a defense that has more top-notch pass rushers on our D Line than some entire divisions. Sintim didn't play much coverage at Virginia, and of the few bad images I have of the Giants LB corps last season, it's fast RBs torching them in the open field. Since the GM Jerry Reese has been nothing short of spectacular with his draft picks the past 2 seasons, I'm going to have to give him the benefit of the doubt here and believe he knows what he can get out of Sintim.

Picking up William Beatty was a relief for me, since I have been clamoring for the Giants to spend a first day pick on an OT ever since the team cut "false-start" Luke Petitgout after the '06 season. Beatty is not likely to become a starter this year on an O Line that hasn't seen a player miss a start in over two seasons, but he can definitely replace Kareem McKenzie, who's play has been declining lately, relatively soon, and maybe even push LT David Diehl back to guard eventually, a position where he's much more suitable.

Picking Ramses Barden spoke volumes about how the Giants felt about losing a tall WR like Plaxico Burress. His height creates mismatches all over the place, and although Barden may not see a lot of playing time, you can be sure he'll be seen in the red zone, an area where the Giants offense has struggled for years.

TE Travis Beckum is another pick we're likely to see in the red zone. Since players like Hixon and Smith aren't likely to wrestle away any jump balls in the end zone, running two TE sets with Boss & Beckum, with Barden and Smith on the outside, and the threat of Brandon Jacobs plowing up the middle makes a much more dangerous red zone threat than the Giants had coming into the draft.

RB Andre Brown was picked as a replacement to Derrick Ward and seems to draw a lot of comparisons to him. A good value pick, but likely won't see much time outside of special teams with Jacobs, Bradshaw and Danny Ware already on the roster.

Overall, it seems like the Giants had a pretty solid draft. The previous two drafts seemed much more exciting to me, but that's obviously not the importance here. The point is to draft impact players and build for the future, which the Giants clearly did. I'm now as excited as ever to see the position battles in camp and get this season underway. Go Blue!