It’s kind of cool to see what a coach does in rookie camp. I’m getting flashbacks of playing in high school.

Who knew Osi was a freestyle rapper? Tuck seems like a genuinely fun guy to be around and a good guy in general - another reason to like one of the best DEs in the league.

What are these guys looking at?

This photo was snapped on Day 1 of the offseason conditioning program. What are Eli Manning and the boys looking at? Create a funny caption and you be the judge! Winners will receive a personal seat license behind the endzone.

…all right, we can’t promise that…but we’ll give you an e-high five.

The lovely blue-eyed, steel-jawed face of Mr. Sheridan himself

Sheridan to run similar defense to Spags

In case any Giants fans were concerned about Bill Sheridan changing styles from his d-coordinator predecessor Steve Spagnuolo, have no fear. Sheridan says he’s basically going to keep the same style with a few tweaks. Here’s a quote from the article:
“Sheridan says he will keep the system Spagnuolo imported from Philadelphia and make minor adjustments, mainly making the schemes less multiple — be more effective with less — and asking his pass rushers to drop in coverage less frequently than the past.”
That works for me - this team has more than enough pass rushers that they can stay fairly fresh while rushing the passer. I’m not a big fan of DEs dropping into coverage anyway…I understand it works as part of a zone blitzing scheme but the Giants really don’t need to go crazy with zone blitzes and alike…just straight-up rush the passer. They’ve got more than enough quality players to do that.
Another interesting tidbit: Sheridan will coach from up in the press box, unlike Spags who was right on the field. This probably won’t make a difference, although I like the energy and emotion that Spagnuolo brought while down on the field. I like coordinators to be as interactive as possible…but of course I won’t fault Sheridan for staying upstairs.

What do you think, Giants fans: will Sheridan be an effective replacement? Or does the fact that he’s never been a coordinator scare you?

USA Today’s Larry Weisman has called Barden the Giants’ best draft pick, and so far people have been raving about the 6′6″ WR from Cal Poly. But forget anything I have to say, why don’t you take a look and see for yourself?

Ramses Barden Highlights

If you haven’t seen it already, which I’m sure most of you have, check out his blog The Blue Screen. It’s an excellent source of information. He updates it multiple times a day, with a ton of info. It’s the first place I look for Giants news, totally serious there.

Comment here and let us know what you think.

Hope you can come and participate!

Good for the Giants in my opinion. I’m really glad Jerry Reese is making a stand to keep Kiwanuka. Not only does it make me happy that he’s not ready to weaken one position to strengthen another, because the strategy has always boggled my mind, but this really should instill a lot of confidence in Kiwanuka, because clearly the Giants love what he brings to the table.

Now here’s the interesting part. Paolantonio continues to say the following:
“The Giants are now…focusing on taking a wide receiver with the 29th pick, perhaps Hakeem Nicks of North Carolina, or jumping ahead of the Jets at No. 17 to take Darrius Heyward-Bey of Maryland.”

There is no mention of a) where he got that information, or b) Anquan Boldin. Who knows where that situation is right now, but knowing Jerry Reese, in the past he’s often publicly said one thing to keep everyone derailed, and then whatever he’s actually working on he doesn’t say anything about until it happens. So probably with him no news is good news.

Bottom line: I can’t wait for this weekend. The suspense is killing me.

Ralph Vacchiano pointed out a few things about this schedule, including this interesting point: Last year, the Giants also opened with the Redskins, and closed with 3 NFC east games followed by a home game against Carolina and an away game against Minnesota. Why would they do that again? No idea. But it’s definitely interesting.

Also: The Jets are playing the last game in Giants Stadium. That makes me angry.

A week 10 bye is a nice break in the middle as opposed to last year’s week 4 bye.

Other things of note: The Giants will christen the new Dallas stadium, which could turn out to be a real kick in the mouth for the Cowboys if everything goes as planned
Also, the Giants will play Denver on Thanksgiving.

Let us know what you think of the schedule.

This is a sad day for football. Yea maybe he was the worst broadcaster ever to take the microphone (that’s an exaggeration, he certainly wasn’t in my eyes, but some people hated him), but any football fan knows that he not only revolutionized broadcasting, but he revolutionized the game itself, and he is one of the most football-knowledgable people on this good Earth. I will certainly miss him. We were all starting to get used to him being there forever, and I certainly wouldn’t have minded that, but he’s right. It’s his time, he should take it. Good luck with the rest of your life Mr. Madden, the booth will miss you.

Ken Whisenhunt said this: “Before the draft, you know there is going to be talk about Anquan and his situation and a trade. Since not a whole lot has changed with his contractual situation, we know that will come back. It would be foolish from our standpoint not to listen to those opportunities and see what actually exists. But I want to make the points — our goal is to re-sign him to a long-term deal. That hasn’t changed.”

Hopefully the Giants can capitalize. I’d much rather have Boldin than Braylon Edwards, especially if the Browns are asking for Steve Smith or Dominick Hixon.

Eli Manning fills in for Tiger Woods

The Giants have reportedly released Plaxico Burress. We will get you more information as it comes out. Apparently he is facing gun possession charges which could land him in jail.

We will attempt to get an interview on this as soon as possible.

IN MY OPINION - This is a good move ONLY if they can finish it. It’s a 2 part move in my opinion, and the 2nd part consists of getting someone to replace him. The wide receiver personnel on the Giants right now is not good enough to get the job done. They need a dominant #1 receiver.

Don’t forget, that in order to play this year, Plax has to weather not only the DA’s punishment for the charges, but also NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who can step in and hand out a suspension after the conclusion of the legal proceedings if he deems it necessary.

T.O. is a free agent. GET HIM AS FAR AWAY FROM NEW YORK AS POSSIBLE. His divisive nature would destroy everything this team has worked so hard to build over the past decade.

Imagine T.O. and Eli trying to have an interaction. It might go something like this:

TO: Eli, throw me the ball more!
Eli: Hey man, I’m trying my best out there, that’s all that matters right?
TO: ARE YOU SERIOUS!? *&%^$#@*&^%$&^%$ GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER MAN!
Eli: I’m just trying to help our team win. Please don’t yell at me. I don’t like it when people yell at me. It makes me shake, and then I throw the ball high.
TO: I WANT OUT OF THIS DUMP OF A CITY! THE QUARTERBACK SUCKS. *Proceeds to cry*

Yea. Not a good scenario. Please Jerry Reese, stay away from this possibly tempting idea.

OFFENSE

QB:
1. Eli Manning
2. David Carr

RB:
1. Brandon Jacobs
2. Ahmad Bradshaw
3. Danny Ware

WR:
1. Plaxico Burress (yes he’s still on the team)
2. Domenik Hixon
3. Steve Smith
4. Sinorice Moss
5. Mario Manningham
6. David Tyree

OL:
C - Shaun O’Hara
G - Rich Seubert, Chris Snee
T - Kareem McKenzie, David Diehl, Kevin Boothe, Guy Whimper

TE:
1. Kevin Boss
2. Michael Matthews
3. Darcy Johnson
4. Lee Vickers

DEFENSE

DT:
1. Chris Canty
2. Barry Cofield
3. Rocky Bernard
4. Fred Robbins
5. Jay Alford

DE:
1. Justin Tuck
2. Osi Umenyiora
3. Mathias Kiwanuka
4. Dave Tollefson

LB:
1. Antonio Pierce
2. Michael Boley
3. Danny Clark
4. Gerris Wilkinson
5. Chase Blackburn
6. Jonathan Goff
7. Bryan Kehl
8. Zak DeOssie

CB:
1. Aaron Ross
2. Corey Webster
3. Kevin Dockery
4. Terrell Thomas
5. R.W. McQuarters

S:
1. Michael Johnson
2. Kenny Phillips
3. C.C. Brown (just signed today)

SPECIAL TEAMS

K:
1. Lawrence Tynes

P:
1. Jeff Feagles

I’ll keep this updated as moves are made. What do you guys think? To be honest with you…with the signing of Boley, our LB corps is looking a LOT better, although we could use some depth. That’s what the draft is for. I’m leaning more and more towards wanting us to draft a LB with the first pick, not a WR. We shouldn’t waste a draft pick on another #2 or #3 WR, we have plenty of those. We need a #1. And that’s not gonna come from the draft, unless we move up for Crabtree.

Ward had conversations with the Giants about resigning, but when he visited with Tampa, he signed right then and there and canceled all the rest of his trips.

I believe that with the obvious pressing need of a dominant number 1 WR, the Giants strengthened an area that is already a strength. In my opinion, the Giants would be fine with Robbins in the middle for another year, and didn’t need to go get Chris Canty. They could have used that money to make a play for TJ. A lot of people say he’s not a true #1. I totally disagree. Yes, he’s not as much of a deep threat. However, with the options available at this point, I feel he is the best choice for the Giants, especially if they can develop Mario Manningham as a deep threat like he was drafted to be.

Well, there’s no sense in crying over what has already happened. Where do the Giants go from here? Unfortunately, there’s not too many options left. In my opinion, the draft is not the place they should look for a deep threat, unless they want to move up and get Michael Crabtree. So here are what I think are the best remaining options:

1) Trade for Boldin. He is the best known available WR out there. It would take quite a hell of a draft package, but the Giants are capable of doing it, especially with the signings of 2 26-year olds in Canty and Michael Boley, which takes some of the pressure of getting younger off the front office. My guess is it would take AT LEAST their 1st round, 3rd round, and a 2nd rounder next year. The Giants do have 10 picks to work with this year, although it’s very back loaded.

2) Sign Laverneus Coles. There’s your deep threat everyone.

3) Sign Marvin Harrison. He’s old and washed up. Could it happen? Absolutely. Do I want it to happen? No. He clearly has lost a step, as evident from him not being able to catch up with Peyton Manning’s throws. Manning couldn’t have suddenly gotten overthrow-itis with just Harrison. He’s used to throwing to a fast Marvin. Only problem - Harrison isn’t as fast anymore.

4) Make a draft deal to move up and draft Michael Crabtree. I have him going in the top 3-5 picks, so it would have to be a freakin huge deal. I don’t see it happening.

5) Keep Plaxico. I don’t see it happening, and frankly, I have already made it clear that I don’t want it happening. But it’s becoming more and more the best option as other ones continue to run out.

6) Other - You guys have any other ideas?

Which do you see being the most likely to happen?

ESPN.com story - Chris Canty signs with the New York Giants

This is a massive deal, especially with the Giants also signing interior lineman Rocky Bernard to a $4 million deal a few days ago.

What do I think about this deal? Well I love it until I saw the price tag, then I almost spit out my water. It’s probably worth the money, but is it a need? I think we should be spending that money elsewhere. HOWEVER, if the Giants are indeed back in the T.J. Houshmandzadeh stakes, this could show him that they are willing to do what it takes to win, and that goes a long way in contract negotiations, especially for a player who’s played for the Bungles for a long time. But if this prevents us from making a big-time WR signing, I don’t like it.

Also, looks like Fred Robbins is the odd man out here. He’s getting older, and I guess the Giants believe he’s past where he can help the team. And we all know how important a dominant DE line is. It’s been HUGE to the team’s success the past few years. But…..it’s not as important as a dominant WR in my opinion. And I think that should be the Giants’ #1 priority right now.

I applaud the Giants and Jerry Reese immensely on this one. They handled the situation perfectly, got the deal done early in the offseason which allows Jacobs to focus entirely on his workouts, and they got Jacobs locked up for relatively cheap in my opinion. I was expecting a much higher deal. Maybe I’m getting too used to baseball contracts.

Here’s the ESPN.com story: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3934760

However…it IS Marvin Harrison. Would you, as Jerry Reese, give him a chance to redeem himself and show everyone he still has something left in the tank? The Giants are in desperate need of a #1 WR, and if they don’t get Boldin or TJ (I refuse to keep looking up the spelling of his name), or even if they do, would he be a fit on the Giants? Post here what you think.

My opinion: Don’t trust him with the #1 spot, but if we get someone for that spot, I’d gladly put him at #2 or 3 with Hixon. I think he’s still got something left…maybe.

“With the deadline approaching it was the right business thing to do at this point, although we are hopeful to get a longer term deal hammered out in the near future,” GM Jerry Reese said. “I did speak to Brandon and we had a very good conversation today.”

This is a good move by the Giants and will hopefully allow them to have more time to work out a long term deal with Jacobs, which both sides want. I can’t wait to see Jacobs be a Giants for many years to come. He’s an incredible, essential player, and a class act guy.

ESPN.com story - Jacobs Franchised

Also, thanks to Ralph Vacchiano for the update: The Hefty Lefty, the Pillsbury Throwboy, Jared Lorenzen, now listed at 285 pounds, has signed a small contract with Arena Football 2. He will make $200 per game and a $50 bonus for each win. Good luck Jared! I’m still a fan.

“Last year was such a positive experience for me I wanted to try to do it again,” said Carr, who got a one-year deal that could reach $2 million with incentives. “Just try and kind of get another one of those years under my belt just learning and continuing to better myself. Honestly, there are spots out there and starting positions, and there could have been some things where it would have just been my Houston situation all over again, and it wasn’t really something I was looking forward to.”

Good move by him and the Giants. Obviously he likes winning/not getting sacked, and the Giants are much better with a veteran, former #1 pick as the backup to…a #1 pick.

The Giants also terminated the contracts of CB Sam Madison, RB Reuben Droughns, and S Sammy Knight. I would have liked to keep Madison and/or Knight for veteran depth, but all 3 of those guys were very injury prone, and the Giants didn’t catch the lightning in a bottle with Knight as they did with the Danny Clark signing, so Knight was expendable. These terminations clear up $4.25 million of cap room, so that’s definitely a positive going into the offseason that’s going to be full of Jacobs, Ward, Boldin, Houshmandzadeh, Burress, etc.

Speaking of the offseason (that’s what’s called a beautiful segway, folks), we are still planning our offseason preview show. It’s going to be a great one if everything works out. We will definitely get ol’ reliable in Ken Palmer (thank you very much for your continued support Ken. Everyone should definitely look into getting a subscription of Giants Insider. I’ve seen it, it’s a great read, and it’s edited by a pure class act in Mr. Palmer). I am also in the process of getting a very, very bigtime guest. More on that if it works out. It’s looking good though, you’re all probably in for a treat.

In the ESPN.com story about the incident, can you find the mistake in this article? Just embarassing, ESPN.com…