Jerry Reese Must Have Confidence in the Linebackers
By author
Good morning all! Monday brought us news that the Giants released five players, most notably punter Jy Bond and undrafted free agent signees, linebackers Micah Johnson and Lee Campbell. What does this mean for the G-men?
First, 7th Round pick Matt Dodge becomes the only remaining punter on the roster and competition is slim, i.e., Bond and Dodge were the two kickers vying for the starting job and Bond has been released, so we can only conclude that Tom Coughlin is comfortable with the rookie assuming Jeff Feagles long-time place-kicking and punting role. Don’t underestimate special teams, with Domenik Hixon’s acl tear and Jeff Feagles retirement, the Giants enter 2010 with unproven players at key special teams roles. This is a situation which bears watching once training camp begins, though there are not a lot of impressive names on the street or waiver wire, so we go to battle with the guys we have.
Micah Johnson and Lee Campbell figured to get a shot to stick with the club on special teams and provide depth at linebacker, but that those thoughts went out the window with the release of both players. Jerry Reese seems to be the only guys who is confident in the linebackers on the roster. To be fair to Reese, new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is high on Goff and Dillard and even Gerris Wilkinson earned some praise as well during minicamps. Critics may not agree, but these are the same critics who predicted gloom and doom for the Giants passing offense and wide receivers in 2010, so take everything with a grain of salt.
And, the “other Steve Smith” continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons. Seems like every year Smith either punches a teammate or suffers an odd injury prior to the season. This time, it’s a broken arm during adult league flag football. Now, let’s be objective here, I have long thought about joining the flag football circuit myself due to the low probability of injury, maybe Smith thought the same thing. How do you break an arm playing flag football? Just be glad this did not happen to our Steve Smith. Stay Blue!