My reaction on Thursday was unacceptable,” the star defensive tackle said in a statement on his Facebook page Friday night. “I made a mistake, and have learned from it. I hope to direct the focus back to the task at hand — by winning.”

Well it took almost 30 hours for Suh to come to his senses. Why it took so long we may never know. However, it is too late in my eyes. The damage has been done.

It was not bad enough that he crossed the line on the football field but then to deny it after the game….Suh needs to pay and he needs to pay a hefty penalty. The league should act fast and not let this drag into the games on Sunday. Suh should be fined upwards of 100k (Rex got 75k for dropping an F-BOMB) AND he should have to sit out at least two games. He has no one to blame but himself and needs to take some time to look in the mirror.

Q: Has Eli picked it up in recent weeks after what seemed like a slow start?

A: I don’t know if I would use the word ‘slow’ but I would say that there was some caution before based on the new figures and people around him and how they would react to what he thought they would do and what they did. That takes time. That’s why you have to have an offseason.

Q: You have emphasized not taking chances and turning the ball over, how do you explain the second touchdown to Victor Cruz?

A: Trusting the receiver. I was the first guy cheering.

Q: How has the offensive line progressed?

A: Communication, continuity, and reaction time. I would say that it is the overall feeling that people do understand the schemes and what we are trying to do no matter how quickly they have to make adjustments. That is where the progress is.

Q: How do you plan to use Prince when he returns:

A: We have to put him on the field and figure out what he can do.

[via Giants.com]

Some highlights:

“Yes it was a good win for the Giants and the thing that pleased me the most was the fact that all three phases complimented each other well. The fact that we got the three interceptions. We did not turn the ball over. Of course we had outstanding goal line stands and big plays in the first quarter and the fourth quarter, but we kept hanging in there and playing and playing and playing. We were worried about time of possession coming into the game because offensively they’ve gotten the ball an awful lot to be honest with you. That is the way they played in the first 2 games this year, so we worried about that and we were able to overcome just 51 snaps. We would of liked to have had more, but it wasn’t to be the case. We played well. We had real good effort and a lot of contributions from a lot of people.”

On finishing:

“Well we had talked as you had mentioned Mike [Francesa] about that as theme from the very first moment we came together at camp and not just the Eagles game last year, but on other occasions too. We didn’t feel like we finished the way we were capable of finishing in the 4th quarter. Finishing the game properly is something we have talked about for a long, long, time. We did finish it yesterday in a very good fashion and played physical. Both teams played very physical as they always do. The Eagles have a lot of talent. They certainly do press you in a lot of different areas. Our guys responded.”

On Eli Manning connecting with Victor Cruz:

“I thought Eli [Manning] did a real nice job with not only distributing the ball, but also making good solid decisions and getting the ball to people and not putting them into harms way. In this particular case he did trust that Victor would come back on the ball and he did.”

On Antrel Rolle’s physical play:

“Well let me just say this: He is a physical force. He’s down at the line of scrimmage. He makes a lot of plays tackling down close to the line of scrimmage. There was some back-and-fourth yesterday. I’m not going to defend or say what I thought really took place there, but one of the reasons that I had spoke to the officials was when I thought they had to be sharp at that point in time to keep the game under control because no one wants to lose a player because they get too emotionally involved. We had talked about this going into the game. As a matter of fact at halftime Antrel really came to me and said just all the right things about the second half.”

[via Sports Radio Interviews]

But when it comes to problems executing the on again off again NY Giants short yardage run game Gilbride absolutely nailed it.

He said this to the media when questioned why Bradshaw got both short yardage carries, and failed to reach a first down, against Washington last week:

“Unfortunately you’ve seen it not work (with Jacobs), haven’t you? That’s your answer. It’s a lot of things. It’s the scheme. If it would make sense to simplify it, (then) if they’d put eight guys within your tackles, if you run straight ahead what are the odds of you making it? You all saw last week with New Orleans. They had goal line and they tried to make one yard and they ran straight ahead. How did that work out?”

I totally agree, and this is something I’ve harped on for YEARS with the Giants play calling. It HAS gotten better ever since Jacobs and Bradshaw have split short yardage carries, especially when Bradshaw took over on short yardage red zone opportunities. Gilbride is right here – and when the Giants block correctly Bradshaw is the quickest guy to the hole, he can make himself small to fit between the creases, and I’ve been really happy with the mix and match strategy the Giants have established over the past 2 years.

Even though 2008 is long gone, a short memory may cause you to forget why this change came about. The days of Brandon Jacobs getting 15 TD’s and the Giants offensive line man handling anything and everything that came their way is over. So in 2009 when the Giants sputtered in short yardage all year with Jacobs as the starter, the offensive line having deteriorated a bit with age and injuries, something had to be done. Late that season, Ahmad Bradshaw became the short yardage back and the Giants red zone scoring numbers improved immediately. In 2010, Bradshaw continued that trend and the Giants continued to improve their overall conversions on short yardage dramatically.

So listen to Gilbride here, he’s got a point. Don’t jump on his back and continue to point at the decisions they’ve made here because it has benefitted the team. He’s using some deceptive tactics by not just throwing Jacobs in there at every short yardage play and it’s worked better for them going on a couple seasons now. I’ll take a play with a bit of deception and poor execution over a straight ahead inside handoff the defense had pegged with 100% certainty any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

[quote via the NY Daily News]

First up, Kurt Warner who suited up part time for the GMEN seven years ago:

“On offense it’s always been about running the football first with that team. Eli is at his best and most comfortable when you have two backs that can run it down hill, then you get the eighth guy in the box and then Eli feeds off that. With that offense, and Eli specifically, when they decide to spread it out and become a throwing team first he always struggles.”

Then, NY Giants all-time leading WR Amanin Toomer has this to say:

“The running game needs to be a lot better. There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. This offense runs at a peak when they are running the ball and working in the play-action offense. They need to establish the run first. I believe this is a good team, but it may take time for them to really gel. Do they have that time where they can come back at the end of the year? I don’t know, it might take them longer than you expect.”

So basically it’s all about the running game. Enough said. The Giants only ran 7 times in the second half of last weeks game — but various reasons as to why that is the case are not reflected in these comments.

And generally speaking, where I disagree is that this team is not the 2004-2008 Giants anymore. Sure I want to see the Giants have a better ratio of pass to run, I’ve commented on it myself all this week that they got away from the run, but Warner and Toomer are not talking about ratios here. They’re speaking to the identity of the Giants.

Time for some context.

When the Giants were beaten at home by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2008 playoffs without Plaxico Burress, the Giants identity changed forever. The Eagles put 8-9 guys in the box and took their chances on the outside. Check mate. Without Plax – in that system it was over. No time to change their identity as Brandon Jacobs said days after that bitter loss to the birds. They were built on playing physical, imposing football. As good as he was at stretching the field and catching Eli’s notoriously high passes — he was a tremendously imposing downfield blocker in both the pass and running games.

Exhibit A:

Now of course, they are not the same team. There is a lot more finesse going on with the offensive scheme – with crisp route running and more layers to the offense going on at once. It’s much more complex than when either Warner or Toomer played with this franchise. And Eli has been outspokenly focused on the deep ball and establishing the pass, not just the run, to keep the offense as complete and dynamic as possible by necessity. Everyone after the 2008 playoff loss knew that’s what the Giants HAD to do going forward. And they have done just that.

Nicks was drafted, Manningham came on strong, Steve Smith came up huge in 2009… and the Giants had a great offense that year. The defense stunk in case anyone doesn’t remember, that’s why there were no playoffs in ’09. But back to the story, Ramses Barden was drafted in Plax’s image. It has not worked out for Barden, he doesn’t quite fit — but the other 3 pieces have worked out extremely well for the Giants offense. The finesse system in a 60/40 pass to run has mae Eli’s numbers skyrocket across the board.

Make no mistake about it though – last year was a fluke with the turnovers, it’s not going to happen again.

If you want optimism, look at it this way. It’s week 1 of a shortened offseason. Both offensively and defensively the reports out of practice are that communication has gotten a lot better, execution is poised to increase week 2. It can start with the run, but Eli needs to establish the pass as well to keep the box open… just like Ahmad Bradshaw said the other day. It’s not a one dimensional answer anymore with a few passing highlights. It’s a complete system.

Love it or hate it, the Giants need to get on the same page and execute at every level from here on out, not just running the ball, or an 0-3 start will be looming.

[quotes via NY Post]

Good morning guys. St. Louis Rams week and we are excited about getting started and trying to improve and get better. The Rams played the Eagles in the opener in a very physical game, without a doubt. Both teams rushed the ball very well. Eventually, of course, Michael Vick took off and made the 97 yards and McCoy had 122 yards against them. Really McCoy’s run was a long run towards the end of the game. It was a very physical game and both teams got after the quarterback with five and three sacks. They played a very physical game and we played a very physical game and now we are excited about getting ready for Monday night.

Q: How is Nicks?

A: He won’t practice today but he is making pretty good progress.

Q: What is the injury?

A: Knee.

Q: What did the tests show?

A: It was a bone bruise.

Q: How long do you think he will be out?

A: I have no idea. We will just go day by day.

Q: What about Tuck and Osi?

A: Osi, no, and Justin is going to practice limited today. We are in shells and that’s the way he will go.

Q: Do you see Spags bringing an NFC East mentality to that division?

A: I don’t know. They are a physical football team. I don’t know if it is categorized as NFC East but it looked like an NFC East battle. That type of game.

Q: Do you talk to him?

A: We text at the beginning of the season ‘good luck’ and naturally we look for each other at the league meetings and in Indianapolis.

Q: Is he the same coach that he was as a defensive coordinator?

A: I am sure he is the head coach, so he has all those hats to wear. No question he has his hands on the defensive side, but I am sure offense as well and special teams as well. They are an aggressive special teams outfit.

Q: What do you miss when Tuck is not in there?

A: Leadership ability. Pass rush. Where do you want me to stop? What do you think we lose? You lose a heck of a football player and the captain of your defensive team.

Q: Does his presence help calm things?

A: Sure, absolutely. You lose Osi, too, if you want me to keep going. Get them out there and you will quickly see and that’s not taking anything away from the guys that are playing. They are playing their tails off. Tollefson played well. Trattou came in and gave us some snaps. JPP rose up again when he had to and made a couple sacks. They are playing hard and there is no if, ands or buts about that. You are talking about reinforcements of a very high quality.

Q: Do you think the Rams will run as much without Steven Jackson?

A: Absolutely. 19 for 91 with Cadillac, they are just going to keep on doing what they do very well, or attempt to.

Q: How about Beckum?

A: Beckum is Beckum. He has a hamstring.

Q: How do you get better as a team?

A: Every phase. Stop the big plays, punt the ball better, kick the ball better. Consistently move the ball on offense, move the ball on third down. Make your short yardage runs. There is a lot of ways that we must improve as we go forward and it is going to happen. It is just not there yet but it is going to happen.

Q: How different is Cadillac from Jackson?

A: Much different, but they are both very good football players and very good rushers. Cadillac has gone through some injuries that he was fought his way back from and he looks like the guy of old. Steven Jackson has been at the Pro Bowl level for a long time.

Q: Do you think hey will run the same?

A: Absolutely. It is the same offense.

Q: Do you think they will pass a lot with the Bradford injury?

A: I think you assess all that during the course of the week. They do have an extra day so that is going to help and then they will make their adjustments as it gets closer to game planning. I’m sure they game planned as if he is healthy and then as they get closer, they will make some decisions about what he can and cannot do.

Q: You seem frustrated by Beckum. Can Travis Beckum fight through this injury?

A: Evidentially, it is not that way yet. It hasn’t gotten to that point yet. We have had hamstring issues with Travis before. I am not frustrated but expectations are very high. It is very difficult to improve him when he is not practicing.

Q: Do you think Brandon and Ahmad can have the same number of carries?

A: The first thing that has to happen is that we have to get some plays on offense. If you make some third downs, then you have a chance to have some plays and you have a chance to have some continuity. You have a chance to do a lot of different things. I am not going to tell you that it will be this or that. I know in my mind what I am looking for in all the players if they were healthy. How many times I want them to touch the ball. But that is under circumstances where you have some snaps and you are doing some things in the game to keep the ball.

Q: Are you confident in the other wide receivers if Nicks can’t go?

A: Dominek has done it before and very well. I would be very high and I think that you can’t judge a guy on one game. Victor has to get ready and go play. Jernigan has to get ready and go play and Devin Thomas will have opportunities as well so they have to prepare themselves to go and when the opportunity is there they have to take advantage of it.

Q: What do you lose if Hakeem can’t go?

A: You lose a playmaker. You lose a guy who can put the ball in the end zone. You lose a guy who loves the ball coming his way and can make the hard catch, the easy catch and has great confidence. He loves to play and wants to be out there all the time.

Q: How good are the guys at picking up the hot reads?

A: They are starting to get it better. Of course, Mario has had that experience before. You saw what Hixon did the other day, two of his catches were sights and hots. They have to be able to do it all. The quarterback has to get rid of the ball when that happens. When you don’t do something to pick it up with your protection call or you can’t because there is too many of them and they are going to have one more than you do, the ball has to go somewhere quick.

Q: What do you see out of Bradford?

A: Poise. Toughness, he stays in there and takes a lick. Throws the ball down the field and has a good, strong arm, and will come out of there if he can and knows when to slide.

Q: Is communication an issue with the offensive line?

A: That is part of it but it is also that split second adjustment that has to happen, the cohesive action that has to happen by everybody, not just two guys or not the other guy and so on and so forth.

via the DC Sports Report, Thomas said:

Until I make that [final roster] and they put me back there in the first game against them Deadskins, then I will say it’s my job,” Thomas said of the team that drafted him in the second round in 2008 before releasing him last season.

Hilarious. Maybe he would’t have been cut if Jim Zorn spent more time trying to utilize him better in his so-called “West Coast Offense” instead of drawing plays up like the Swinging Gate.

“I’m happy with the team’s performance. You know, I feel like we could have played better on offense. It was one of those weird games….it started with the first play of the game; we had a great first play, and then we had a 2nd and 1 and all of a sudden 3rd and 7, then we get an offsides and it’s 3rd and 12. So it was kind of one of those deals where we had a 2nd and 1 and don’t convert on that. So I thought we had some good things. We need to be a little more consistent. We need to be better in the passing game, had some throwaways, some protection stuff, we had some drops, some bad throws by me — just a combination of all those things that didn’t lead to being very efficient in the passing game. But we ran the ball well, I thought we communicated very well, better than the first week. You know, the line talking to each other, the receivers and everybody being on the same page. I thought we played well and played smart.”

The full interview can be heard here:

[via Sports Radio Interviews]

Mathias Kiwanuka is a versatile player, and there’s no question that the hybrid DE/LB knows how to get to the QB when given the opportunity. To when the Giants Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell lined him up at SLB at the start of training camp – Kiwanuka knew what Fewell had in mind. Stop the run and get after the QB.

About Fewell, Kiwi had this to say:

“He knows how to use his personnel. People refer to my versatility but that has a lot to do with the fact that Perry is going to put people in the position to make plays and he’s done a good job at that. Perry is all about wanting to get the quarterback, stopping the run the way it should be done, and he’s going to use whatever means he has to get it done.”

The beginning of last year brings back very fond memories of the Giants defense. You had a great rotation of pass rushers playing multiple positions in multiple subpackages. Deception was the name of the game — tons of variables for the offense to process. The only constant was pressure IS coming. Devastation was around the corner at every snap, particularly from Mathias Kiwanuka. Kiwi had 4 sacks in 3 games and looked to only be getting started when he went out for the season with his herniated disc. During the offseason, he kept himself at a specific weight in between a LB and DE to be that versatile weapon once again for any team that required his services.

“People were looking at me as a linebacker, so I tried to keep my weight so it split the difference between where I would play as a defensive end and where I would play as a linebacker.”

Smart move. And although he wasn’t signed as a Giants to begin this season – it sounds like NY is where he wanted to be all along, as he had some more good things to say about Fewell and the rest of the defensive unit:

“There’s tremendous potential here. We have a great core group of guys. Everybody obviously worked hard during the offseason, Everybody’s in great shape. I think the thing that puts us in the best position is having Perry. You know he’s going to call the right numbers at the right time. If we live up to our potential, we’ll dominate.”

Glad he’s back in blue, and hopefully he can get back on track with his sack numbers — right where he left off in 2010.

[quotes via Giants.com]

When asked about the teams energy level, or lack thereof, Coughlin said this:

….It’s not energy. It’s the spark. It’s a spark. You’re up seven to nothing, why can’t it be 14 to nothing? Why isn’t it 10 to nothing. The ability to recognize and capitalize on the circumstance as it presents itself to you. That’s more of what I’m talking about. There was energy. There was effort. There is a ton of people playing in their first professional game. You don’t think they were excited and a lot of times they don’t really know how to express themselves or even express it in a team way. That’s what I’m after.

It’s like Coughlin’s reading our minds, isn’t it? We the fanbase were wondering the same exact thing last night — what the hell was the problem last night in stomping out the competition early? Where was the spark?

It comforts me that the Head Coach asks the same questions and feels the same way about the Giants inneptitude of putting the game away early when given the shot to do it. I feel like that’s an offensive trend they can overcome, and when they do it they look like the best team in all of football. Seattle, Houston, the first Skins game, most of the first Cowboys game, nearly all of the second Eagles game — just DOMINANT performances on offense and defense. Defense that couldn’t be penetrated, offense that just kept building. Creative play calling, deception, execution, physicality, unstoppability. Why can’t the Giants play up to that potential every time they lace up?

That’s NY Giants football for you.

The Giants had an opportunity to put the hammer down early, and for a few minutes I thought they might do it. Big runs, nice crisp slants, slant and go routes that just missed. But I liked what I saw across the night in bits and pieces, though it wasn’t cohesive at all. If Hixon played first team, maybe they would have scored and gone up 14 – 0. But he didn’t. Maybe if Nicks didn’t get held or hesitate on a couple of his routes, it would be a different story. And maybe if the Giants hadn’t chosen to try and telegraph their moves and out-execute the Panthers tenacious defense at home when going got tough, the energy level would have been perceived differently. Didn’t happen.

They came out flat and paid the price.

The Giants used to be that team that could let you know what they were going to do, and dare you to stop it. Power running. That’s not them anymore. Eli Manning has committed to the deep ball and in order to open up the field, defenses are just staring to respect it – and once they see Jacobs in the backfield with a FB leading the way on 3rd and 1 — they know the drill. All the execution in the world isn;t going the change the fact that the defense is ready and waiting. In essence, it’s a trap and the Giants ran right into it.

There’s so much potential here, so much ability it sickens me to see it wasted on a run up the gut from I formation, or yet another draw play when the whole defense can be heard screaming DRAW DRAW DRAW before the ball is snapped. We’ve seen this movie before, and so has the defense. Either you commit to running your deceptive 2 TE sets or you find something else, but don’t revert to the givens.

The Giants have some weapons this season on their roster, make no mistake about it. But last night was not a showcase night for the Giants. They looked every bit the rusty shovel, digging their own graves one preseason game into the season. If they don’t want to end up dead, the Giants better start showing that spark, signs of life, before its too late.

“We definitely have enough weapons,” Manning said. “We have guys that can make plays and guys who can do a lot of good things. It’s a matter of getting guys who can be in the right spots, give them the right opportunities, and make the plays.”

“I feel good about the guys that we have here, about our players, about the way things are going on the practice field,” Manning said. “I think we have guys who are committed to the team, who work hard, who have good character, and are excited about their opportunities. That’s what you want. You want guys who play together. They do the right thing. They have a passion for the game. That’s what we have.”

When you think of the Giants playmakers familiar with the system, steeped in Gilbride’s offense – you think of Boss and Smith without question.  They’re no longer here of course. But Bradshaw, Jacobs, Nicks, Hixon and Manningham are all crucial elements still currently on the roster, guys that know how to win.  Guys that want to win another championship.  And on the periphery of that core lie some players on the verge of breaking out. Victor Cruz, Travis Beckum, Bear Pascoe, and perhaps Darius Reynaud.  With the Giants offensive line fortified with health, youth, and experience. The defense should be as good or better than they were in 2010, a top 3 overall unit in case you forgot.

All told, Eli should have the weapons he needs to make another run at the playoffs as Jerry Reese indicated during last week’s presser – starting with the passionate mix of players he’s got around him tonight in Carolina.

GMEN HQ will be holding a live chat to cover the game tonight at 8pm, check back here for the link and the festivities as Giants 2011 football season kicks off tonight.

Yardbarker

Here’s a memorable quote from the Star-Ledger today covering Tom Coughlin’s presser about WR Steve Smith signing with the rival Philadelphia Eagles.

“I’m disappointed, obviously. We thought he’d be a Giant all the way, with the circumstances and the fact (Giants team physician Russ) Warren did the surgery. I think we know quite a bit about what it takes to get him back on the field. But having said all of that, we certainly know that’s the nature of our business. There are some disappointing factors involved, which I’m not going to get into because I’m not the one to speak on that. But we’re disappointed he’s not here.”

Meanwhile GM Jerry Reese has declined to speak with the press. Shocked? Not as shocked as I was when I heard Smith was bolting for the Birds last night… nor that Oakland signed Boss out from under the Giants. Nor…… ahh you get the point.

via Sports Radio Interviews:

“There’s a lot that goes in. I have been playing…I have been in the NFL a long time now it feels like I want to say nine years and I’ve come to the conclusion that there are a lot of things that go into winning and losing. It’s not as simple as cut and dry as we have more talented players or less talented players or we have this or that. I mean you have to have good scheme approach from your coaches. They need to put people in good position to give them a chance. You need to have people who are willing to compete and work hard. I think you have to have people willing to stay together. There’s going to be tough times on every team during a season, but you need to as some teams have been around they get closer and stronger in those times and others kind of drift apart. You need to get the right kind of guys. You can have that. You get the right kind of scheme and then if you are fortunate enough to have some guys with ability and all that comes together I think that is when you are lucky enough to have a chance at a Super Bowl.”

Glad Tony Romo figured that tangibles as well as intangibles make the season after 9 years in the NFL. But the question now is, do you think there’s any hope for Jerry Jones?

Here’s the audio if interested: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/08/09/cowboys-qb-tony-romo-embraces-his-rage/

From a report by ESPN NFC East Blogger Dan Graziano, Manning goes on to say how important those 3rd down receptions are going to be with Steve Smith out for an undetermined period of time:

“We need to continue to get those big plays, but also get more consistent at being able to pick up those tough third-and-five, third-and-sixes. That’s where Steve was so helpful. So either we need one of them to take over that or get it from someone else — whether it’s (Domenik) Hixon, a guy who has kind of played that slot position some, or see if Victor Cruz or someone else can get in there.”

Hixon is not returning punts or kickoffs, nor should he be. Jernigan/Ross and Ware should be handling those duties, not the #3 receiver in charge of sustaining drives in the Giants offense. But Victor Cruz has been flashy in camp, faster than last year, and has caught some big balls deep downfield. He’s also dropped a lot of easy passes too… so I’m not sure they want him relegated to the slot and being that security blanket for Eli Manning.

Manning also discussed the departure of Kevin Boss and what that might mean for the offensive adjustments and players the Giants will now have to utilize:

“We might have to get into different formations. Obviously, this year, Travis Beckum is our best receiving tight end, but he’s not 270 pounds like Kevin Boss. So we’ll have to create some different formations and different ways to kind of run our offense. But that’s common, and you advance, and you put your players in the best positions to be successful.”

Hixon and Beckum are going to have important roles this year without question. We all know what Hixon can do in the slot barring injury, and we saw at times last year some great looks from Eli to Beckum for big gains and the defense had no way to stop it. I look forward to seeing the adjustments made be the Giants — just the fact that Eli is talking about developing things further is a sign that they won’t force a certain playbook on a mismatched personnel package like they did in the latter half of 2008. Yes, I brought it all the way back to Plax’s gun shot, I sure did.

But to give credit where it’s due, since then the Giants offense has become much more deceiving, creative, dynamic, and complex — and I’d have to think this year is going to be an even bigger one for Manning and his myriad receivers.

ELI. ELIminate mistakes.

The quote of the 2011 season has just been uttered by Eli Manning — it’s so dead on you’d think it was a script written by Coach Coughlin and handed to him. Check it out:

“It’s about putting the team in situations to hit big plays and avoid the bad plays, the bad decisions. When things go wrong, hit the check down, throw it away, avoid the bad play. Last year, that was part of the problem. We did a lot of great things, but our bad plays were very bad. It wasn’t just an incompletion, it was an interception or a fumble or a turnover or something. We eliminate those things and we have the talent to make a lot of plays and score points. We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot.”

This has been my mantra all offseason, START CHECKING THE BALL DOWN. The Giants have RBs that can catch, TEs that can catch, and now FBs that can catch the ball. Kevin Gilbride has installed so many options for every position that if players simply make their reads and execute their role on any given play — the Giants have an outlet for Manning to go to. Now Manning simply needs to make his read, and deliver the ball to the safest place and not try and force things into triple coverage. Batted balls and tipped passes are things you can’t always control, but relying on the checkdown to advance the ball and likely move the chains needs to be a more common occurrence in 2011. Sounds like Eli is on that same page as well. Glad to hear it.

[quote via NFL.com]

Getty

Firstly, good luck to Kevin Boss in Oakland. He’s a good guy that played hard and took a ton of hard hits for the Giants and their fans. Best of luck to him.

But now that Boss is officially done in NY – there is a hole at starting TE for the fist time since Jeremy Shockey was sidelined back in 2007. And now the torch has been passed to 3rd year TE / H-Back Travis Beckum. Fortunately, Beckum has been getting all kinds of reps with the first team since Boss has been absent due to free agency negotiations, and word on the street is Beckum has been nothing short of impressive.

(more…)

Yardbarker

Former Giants MLB Antonio Pierce has made some comments on ESPN radio that are going around today — and they really get to the heart of the matter between Osi Umenyiora and the Giants. Ultimately, Pierce believes Osi is wrong and the Giants are right.

via PFT:

“It’s kind of hard to say I’m on Osi’s side,” Pierce said. “I understand it from the players’ side, but from the ownership side, they’re doing the right thing. They understand that there are some medical issues with Osi, maybe he doesn’t have a lot of good years left with his health and his body. The guy’s been very productive, but Osi needs to make his mind and say, ‘I might not go out there and get money like I think I can. I might not get Charles Johnson money. Maybe I need to settle for the $7 or $8 million I’m getting the next two years.’ So really I’m not on Osi’s side on this one.”

There you have it — consider it nailed. Both sides have a point, but Osi’s not exactly in perfect form health wise heading into the season, he’s sitting out due to knee issues, and he’s also trying to negotiate a $70 million contract while doing it? No way. No fricking way.

And when you have the #1 pass rusher in the entire league, arguably one of the best overall players in the league – Cowboys OLB DeMarcus Ware taking pay cuts to help his team create cap room — your leverage is shrinking by the minute. Get off the bike and get to practice tonight, Osi. Your team and fans will thank you for it, eventually.

Here are his quotes about his interest in the Raiders and Giants, respectively:

“Yeah, I mean, like I said earlier, it’s something out on the west coast. But I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. Ultimately, like I said, I’d just prefer to stay here in New York and finish my career as a New York Giant

…

For me, right now, the Giants, I’ve had a great four years here and it’d be hard to pick up and leave right now. Obviously, going back west wouldn’t, you know, I’m originally from Oregon so that’s something that’s in the back of my mind. But I don’t know. I think it’d be hard to leave New York.”

I think everyone is in agreement about 2 things — the Giants need to get Boss back in NY and Eli needs to throw him the ball more often. No Plax in the red zone, not sure about Barden, the only 6’6″ guy catching balls inside the 20 is going to be Boss.

GET. IT. DONE.

“What really annoys me is the hypocrisy of people clamoring for my head for asking for a new deal or to be traded. Saying I have 2 years left on my deal. These contracts only mean something to us? Where is O’Hara? Where is Seubert? True inspirational football players. They were cut after being injured. They have years left on their deal.”

“Why is (Brandon) Jacobs asked to take a pay cut? He has years left on his deal. The fact is in the business we are in, if you get injured, or they feel like you underperformed, they cut you without hesitation. But if you clearly outplay your contract, and ask for something to be done, you’re a bad guy and not a team player. It’s ridiculous.”

“How does a guy who had one good year (no disrespect to Charles Johnson) sign a deal and make more than both me and (Justin) Tuck combined? It’s not right.”

“Everyone in this business understands that is exactly what it is. Business. And just like none of us get upset when our teammates are released due to business decisions, the teams also don’t get upset when something like this happens.”

Put yourself in Osi’s shoes for a minute — as a player trying to make a great living within his small window of opportunity. He’s got some good points here. But If you remember the 2008 Plaxico Burress holdout incident… even players that catch game winning Superbowl touchdowns don’t get paid easily from the Giants front office. And to the Giants point, they’re risking millions of dollars here — not tic tacs. Not everyone can take a flyer like the Redskins and pay defensive ends $100 million dollars and then just just trade them in for a 5th round draft pick two years down the road when things go south. The Giants are not that organization, and everyone knows that.

To me… Osi has some good points here but from what I gather Reese made his ‘promise’ to restructure the contract before Osi sat out the entire 2008 season with a knee injury and then rehabbed back into shape the entire 2009 season. He had a GREAT year in 2010, but is that enough to restructure a contract and give the guy an extra $60 million guaranteed? No, no it isn’t. As great as Osi Umenyiora is to the Giants, his ego needs to be checked here — and the Giants are not the Panthers grasping at straws to save a semblance of a season over the next decade of football. The Giants are a handful of plays away from the playoffs, and perhaps another championship run… a run that Osi was a part of in 2007 and should know damn well that it takes team play, not one-upsmanship and personal wealth — to deliver on a Superbowl win.

Brandon Jacobs gets it, Justin Tuck gets it, and Ahmad Bradshaw got it today. There’s nothing wrong with making money to the best of your ability but when you risk the entire lockroom for your personal paycheck, it ends badly for everyone. See the aforementioned Redskins if you want bullet points as to how that happens. It’s not pretty.

Take a listen:

[via CBS NY]