A few days ago the New York Giants lost a good player and a defensive end when Michael Strahan retired.  But his impact to the team over these past 15 years means so much more than that.  Strahan retires with the all-time single season sack record* and in fifth place on the all-time sack list.  He was an outspoken and vocal leader of the Giants and drew most of those sacks despite constant double teams.  Strahan will be missed both on and off the field for the Giants.  Justin Tuck will almost certainly become a starter now and should do just fine, but you can’t just expect to easily replace a surefire Hall of Famer.

An excellent article on Strahan - http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/ny-spstaple0611,0,5136048.column

Receiver Plaxico Burress has made it public that he won’t report to practice until he gets a new contract.  Here’s what he said:

“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.”

Just FYI: Burress’s agent is none other than the man I hate most in the professional sports world, Drew Rosenhaus.  And that is not an understatement.  I dislike him more than any other player, coach, or person in any sport.  He’s a liar, a cheat, a crook, and an all-around idiot.

Rosenhaus is notorious for wanting to redo contracts that players signed and have many years left on, but for some reason he believes that signature the player wrote with his own hand means nothing.  The case here is no different.  Burress still has 3 years left on his 6 year, $25 million deal.

On a side note, Shockey did report to practice.

GM Jerry Reese got $4 million extra in cap room after Michael Strahan retired, but still has to rework the contracts of Chris Snee and Brandon Jacobs, and may redo the contract of Osi Umenyiora at his request.

The Giants signed Renalodo Wynn today, adding to an already stacked line.

The D-Line now looks like this at the moment: Strahan (?), Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Jay Alford, Fred Robbins, Barry Cofield, 7th round pick Robert Henderson, and Dave Tollefson. That is a STACKED line.

Not sure Wynn will see much playing time besides giving someone a breather, and even then I don’t really see where he fits in. Most likely the 12-year vet will be giving advice more than racking up plays.

Wynn entered the league along with the other vet signed by the Giants, Danny Clark, on Coughlin’s Jaguars team. Wynn was the 1997 1st round pick of the Jags, 21st overall. He has also played for the Redskins and Saints.

The Giants picks look as follows:

1st Round (pick #31): S Kenny Phillips, Miami

2nd Round (pick #63): CB Terrell Thomas, USC

3rd Round (pick #95): WR Mario Manninngham, Michigan - a big-play kind of guy for Michigan. Caught 27 TD’s in his career, 20 of which went for 20 yards or more. Should be an excellent down-the-field force for the Giants in a couple of years.

4th Round (pick #123): LB Bryan Kuel, BYU - the Giants traded their third 6th-round pick to move up and get Kuel. A bit older since he’s coming from BYU (Mormon faith requires a service project for a year or two, which Kuel did in ‘03 and ‘04). He’s a great cover linebacker, and a smart one too. A quick, agile, hard-working guy.

5th Round (pick #165): LB Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt - a strong in-the-box backer who is accomplished academically as well. Has great upper-body strength and works well up in the box.

6th Round (pick #198): QB Andre Woodson, Kentucky - finished second in school history in many categories, 2nd only to Giants backup Jared Lorenzen. Has great instincts and can throw very well in a small window. However, he has a hitch in his delivery, and this needs to be corrected, or else it will lengthen his delivery enough for NFL corners to get a jump on the telegraphed throw. The Giants’ front office really want a QB for the future that was developed in their own system.

6th Round (pick #199): DE Robert Henderson, Southern Mississippi - not much info on this guy here, but it can’t hurt to have too many DE’s, as the Giants know from experience. Especially with Kiwanuka moving to LB possibly.

Overall, I’m very pleased with the draft. I’m just very very baffled still by the Dan Conner passing. I still haven’t figured it out, and neither have many experts. If anyone has any opinions, please feel free to email us or comment here, or leave us a phone message and we’ll put it in our draft recap cast.

The Giants picked Safety Kenny Phillips from Miami, filling a huge need in their defense. This is a great pick with number 31.

However…the controversy is the 2nd round pick. The Giants took the injury prone CB Terrell Thomas while LB Dan Connor was still available. This, in my opinion, is absolutely absurd, and I know at least Kevin, and possibly many more Giants fans are on board with me on this one. The Giants NEED a linebacker, a premier linebacker fell into the Giants’ lap, and they dropped the ball. If someone would like to explain this one to the NYGiantscast staff, please jump in because I am absolutely stunned right now.

Hey guys,

We’ve got another new episode up, once again with Editor of Giants Insider Magazine Ken Palmer who we’re very grateful to have on.  In the interview, we talk about the possible destinations of Jeremy Shockey, some D-line drama, and the Giants needs for the upcoming draft.  Enjoy!

FINALLY! Hope you guys enjoy, sorry we went so long in between episodes.

Jeremy Shockey is getting more and more frustrated with the Giants.  He hasn’t formally requested a trade, but did say he’d welcome one.

Ralph Vacchiano reports

Shockey was out of the Giants’ Super Bowl run with a broken leg, and Kevin Boss filled in nicely for him.  However, Eli Manning has made it clear that Shockey is an integral part of the team and would be overjoyed to have him back.  The New Orleans Saints made an offer to the Giants last month for Shockey.  Saints head coach Sean Payton is familiar with Shockey from his days as the Giants offensive coordinator.   Giants GM Jerry Reese said, “Anything can happen in personnel.  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.”

In the end, I think (and certainly hope) Shockey will be a Giant at the beginning of the season.  But right now, it’s too early to be sure.

The New York Giants’ Super Bowl rings, made by Tiffany & Co., have been unveiled.  The players had much input in this, and rightly so.  Here is a picture of the ring as seen from the top:

The rings are covered in diamonds and white gold, and feature the franchise’s 3 Super Bowl wins.  On one side, it reads “Eleven Straight on the Road,” signifying the 11 straight road victories the Giants won over the course of the season.  The “ny” logo is front and center on the ring in front of the trophies, covered in diamonds.

Michael Strahan said that he is happy with the ring, especially with its size.  He said he wanted a “10-table ring,” the phrase he uses to describe a ring large enough that people 10 tables away in a restaurant will notice it.

An interesting side note: Tiffany & Co. is based in New York City and also makes the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy for the NFL each year.  “Super Bowl XLII has special significance” said Michael J Kowalski, chairman and CEO of Tiffany & Co.  “Not only was it one of the greatest games ever played, it was won by our hometown team, the New York Giants, whom we now salute with a commemorative ring and our thanks for a performance on the field that no Giants fan, or football fan anywhere, will ever forget.”

The Giants signed guard Rich Seubert to a 3-year contract extension that would potentially keep him in a Giants uniform until 2012.  Seubert stated that he would like to finish his career in New York, something that is a rare occurence with any team now-a-days.  He has had a roller coaster career with the Giants, that was going well until he broke 3 bones in his leg in 2003.  He didn’t play any significant time until 2006, when he played in 14 games, including 3 starts.  Last season, Seubert anchored the offensive line, starting all 20 games.