Former Giants defensive lineman Chris Canty has signed a 3-year $8 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens. $2.8 million is guaranteed. He was released in the offseason due to a series of injuries and to make room under the salary cap. He was owed $6.25 million.

Our guest writer, and my co-host of “The Blue and Green Review” seen here on Tuesday nights at 7 Eastern, Miss Kristine Reese was kind enough to cover The Thurman Munson Awards and file this report:

On Tuesday night, the 33^rd annual Thurman Munson Awards Dinner was held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. The Thurman Munson Award recognizes athletes for excellence on the field and philanthropic efforts off the field, and this year’s honorees included Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, Mets first baseman Ike Davis, Olympic Gold medalist Aly Raisman, former New York Knick Greg Anthony and now former Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty, among others.

Canty, who is as well known for his character and intellect as he is for being a part of the Giants’ famous four-man front, was honored with the award for his work with his foundation, aptly named “The Chris Canty Foundation,” which focuses on giving back to the community by enhancing the development and lives of youth through mentoring, education programs, and health and fitness activities. Canty’s foundation also raised money for Hurricane Sandy relief and donated holiday meals to those in need.

“Growing up in the Bronx in the shadow of Yankee stadium, you hear all the stories about the former captain Thurman Munson,“ Canty explained at the media portion of Tuesday’s event. “Standing here today, to be honored in that way, it’s all surreal to me.”

“The work I do in the community, for the kids, is a passion of mine. For people to recognize the quality of that work, to speak about the work and being of service to the community and just being in the same breath as Thurman Munson, the AHRC and the work they are doing, it’s an honor.”

At the event, Canty spoke candidly about the inspiration behind his philanthropy: his mother, who instilled at a very early age the importance of service, quoting Mark 10:44, which reads, “The son of man came to serve not to be served.”

Canty also noted that he views his service to the community and others as a responsibility and an obligation, another valuable lesson taught by his mother. In fact, the word responsibility was an adjective used by many of the evening’s honorees, including Knicks legend and YES Network analyst Greg Anthony.

Also present at the Awards was Canty’s brother Joseph, who is the President, Chairman and co-founder of the Chris Canty Foundation. In addition to dedicating himself to running the foundation, Joseph partners with a variety of charitable organizations supporting youth in New York City and Charlotte, NC, where he currently resides.

While the purpose of the event was to honor’s Canty’s foundation and his many contributions to the community off the field, there were plenty of questions for the defensive lineman about his and his team’s performance on the field, including difficult questions about the recent release of veteran linebacker Michael Boley, who had just been cut from the team a few short hours prior.

Canty was unaware of Boley’s release at the time of the interview and his visible emotional reaction to the loss of a close teammate and friend was difficult to watch.

“That’s some tough news,” Canty said, reacting to the Boley release. “Not only was he a good teammate, he was a good friend. He and I go way back, since before the scars. Me and Boley, we’ve know each other a long time. He’s a good person. He’s a good teammate, good friend.”

Less than 24 hours after the Thurman Munson Awards, Canty, along with several other Giants including running back Ahmad Bradshaw, was released as part of a major off-season salary cap purge. While it was widely speculated that the Giants would make several difficult cuts to get under the NFL’s projected $121.8 salary cap, few would have expected that the four-year veteran, who was major part of the Giants 2012 Super Bowl Championship, would be one of the victims.

Canty, who shared that he is “feeling healthy” after suffering through several injuries this season, had two years left of his contract at the time of his release. The cut saves the team $6.5 million off the cap.

Canty revealed on Tuesday night that he had not been approached by the team about his contract – something he disclosed he wasn’t concerned about – and he planned to stay in New York for remainder of his deal, which is likely part of the reason that, in an interview with ESPN Radio on Wednesday afternoon, Canty revealed he did not have any “inkling” he was going to released and that he was “a little disappointed in what took place, but it’s a business.”

Salary cap issues aside, Canty did admit that changes to the defensive line “are necessary” and the unit – and the football team as a whole – did not perform up to potential this past season.  He did add the team “has a plan” for the off-season but any details he was aware of would stay “in house.”

While Canty will no longer be a part of those plans, Canty’s versatility as a lineman could draw a lot of interest from other teams this offseason.

Tuesday night’s Thurman Munson Awards were about honoring philanthropy and service, but they were also a reminder of just how difficult and fleeting the business of football can be, making the importance of Canty’s work and the focus on something other than just the National Football League that much more significant.

Canty will always be remembered for his contributions to the Giants Super Bowl Championship, but perhaps more importantly, as he continues to make his mark on the entire Tri-State area with his service, he will be remembered and celebrated for much more.

Proceeds for the Thurman Munson Award dinner benefit AHRC New York City, which helps support programs for children, teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

You can learn more about Canty’s foundation by visiting ChrisCantyFoundation.org.

Kristine Reese is the NFL editor and lead New York Jets writer for Aerys Sports, the only online sports network run entirely by women. She is the co-host of “The Blue and Green Review” and one of five hosts on the fan-run web show “Flight 5 Live.” Her work, which ranges from sports, adventure to travel and pop culture, has been featured in various digital publications, including NJ.com and Dos Equis’ “Most Interesting Academy.” For more information, follow on Twitter @KristineReese or visit www.KristineReese.com.

Thomas stated during an appearance and Chris Canty’s charity golf outing “I’ve said all along I’m ahead of schedule and doing good. My biggest thing is just protecting, keep building strength and to be ready for training camp and the opening game against Dallas.”

The Giants re-signed Thomas to a 4 year contract worth a reported $28 million in march. There is an option for the Giants after year one. After a year where a make shift secondary was exposed. Having Thomas back with Corey Webster on the other side could prove to be one of the better CB tandems in the league. Let’s all hope the knee is 100%.

2012 started off on the right foot for the New York Giants and their fans as they defeated the Dallas Cowboys for the second time this season by a 31-14 margin to clinch the NFC East title, guaranteeing at least one more week of New York Giants football in perhaps the sweetest fashion possible. The Giants will face the Atlanta Falcons in New York next Sunday in the first round of the playoffs.

Thoughts from the game-

-Surprise, surprise- Victor Cruz came up big once again. What else is there left to say about him that hasn’t already been said?

-Hakeem Nicks get a lot of attention for his receiving talents (and rightly so). But he also deserves to get some props for the job that he does when it comes to blocking downfield for his teammates. If he doesn’t make the blocks that he did on Cruz’s touchdown catch and Ahmad Bradshaw’s first tally, those guys might not have scored.

-Travis Beckham really needs to work on his blocking. He struggled last week against the Jets and again tonight against Dallas. The Giants are definitely missing Jake Ballard in that regard.

-My fondness for Henry Hynoski continues to grow. It’s nice to have a fullback with hands, isn’t it?

-Eli Manning’s touchdown to Nicks was his fifteenth of the season in the fourth quarter- a new NFL record.

-Speaking of Eli Manning, it was mentioned tonight that his pocket awareness and movement has been so much better this year than in previous seasons, and that has a lot to do with his success this year. I could not agree more.

-It’s amazing how much better the entire Giants defense plays when the defensive line dominates. And it wasn’t just Jason Pierre-Paul getting pressure tonight. Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Mathias Kiwanuka, and Chris Canty all contributed. New York managed six sacks tonight and Tony Romo never really got much of a chance to get comfortable.

-The Giants did manage to get a few breaks tonight, managing to recover one fumble and then DeMarcus Ware being flagged for jumping offsides when the Cowboys recovered another Giants fumble.

-The offensive line has consistently played well as a whole in the past week or two. Jay Ratliff and Ware hardly got a sniff at Manning all night. The Giants running game still isn’t a strong as I’d like but they’re definitely better off running the ball to Kevin Boothe’s side when he’s in at guard.

-It was, once again, an overall team effort, with both the offense and defense playing well. The defense managed to contain the Cowboys well and the offense was able to score when needed. The Giants are on a bit of a hot streak right now and if they play like they did tonight, they can beat just about any team they’re up against.

From Tom Coughlin, to Eli Manning, to Justin Tuck, and the suddenly vocal Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants appear to be ALL IN.  Even Lawrence Taylor chimed in this week, saying only the Giants were capable of beating the Giants in this contest Sunday Night at Giants Stadium against the Cowboys of Arlington.  The Giants will hand out towels to all fans Sunday that have the phrase ALL IN Printed on them, and it seems to reflect the mood around Giant camp this week.

No bold predictions, but a confidence that they know if they play together, play smart, they can accomplish anything.  They are at home playing for a division title, they are coming off a dominant defensive win, their first of the year, and they think they can continue with that effort.  Let’s take a look at some of the match-ups.

Giants D-Line vs. Dallas O-Line:  The Giants will have a full complement of defensive linemen to rotate into the game Sunday Night.  Osi is back, Tuck is healthy, and J.P.P. has gotten better every week.  The rotation of healthy pass rushers and run stoppers is phenomenal.  Chris Canty, Rocky Benard, Linval Joseph and Dave Tollefson will all contribute.  The Cowboy offensive line is perhaps the weakest part of their team.  Costa at center has been injured, and is inconsistent at best.  Not just his blocking, but snapping the ball in shotgun formation is always an adventure.  Tony Romo, with his bruised hand, figures to be in shotgun a lot Sunday, so look for this to be factor at some point.  Montrae Holland, the starting left guard, was placed on IR last week ending his season.  J.P.P. lines up against Doug Free, who he beat repeatedly last time they met, and now next to him is either Daniel Loper or  rookie Kevin Kowalski.  Kosier and Smith are pretty good on the right side, but Justin Tuck missed most of the previous Dallas game, and he will be back in force to challenge this side of the line.  The Giants should have no problem getting pressure on Tony Romo Sunday night.

Dallas running game vs. Giants D:  The Giants have struggled against the run all year.  Except for the odd play calling last week, the Giants really haven’t stopped anyone from running against them this season.  The Cowboys however are down to one healthy running back in Sammy Morris, and one that is listed as questionable in Felix Jones.  If the Giants can just limit the running game it will go a long way towards defeating the Cowboys.  Not having to drop the safeties down, or worry about the corners giving too much run support will help this defense perform better as a whole.

Both Passing Offenses vs Pass Defenses:  The last few times these teams have met they have scored plenty of points.  The passing games of both these teams can be lethal.  The pure speed of Miles Austin going one-on-one against Aaron Ross.  The height and strength of both Hakeem Nicks of the Giants and Dez Bryant of the Cowboys can be unstoppable.  The playmaking ability of Victor Cruz and Laurent Robinson can be devastating.  If these two quarterbacks get time, they WILL complete passes, and for big plays.

Giants running attack vs Dallas D:  The Giants running attack awoke three weeks ago in Dallas.  Brandon Jacobs always seems to run hard against Dallas.  I think he likes running over their undersized safeties and little corners.  Ahmad Bradshaw is fresh and running fierce.  D. J Ware has found a role as a pass catcher, a very good blocker, and two point specialist, and Henry Hynoski is healthy and opening holes.  If the Giants can have a balanced attack, and run the ball for a nice average, Eli will have a big day.

The weather seems like it will be a non-factor, of course the wind current will play games at times, but should only affect the kicking game.  Turnovers, Penalties, and Special Teams will be all important in this one as always.  Sunday Night at Home for all the marbles, and a chance to get into the playoffs and maybe make a nice run.  ALL IN!

It appears that last week’s game against the Packers proved to be the moral victory that the Giants needed if they’re to avoid another late-season collapse and make the playoffs.

This game was a must-win for the Giants, and they rose to the occasion. It wasn’t a pretty victory, but you don’t get any style points in the NFL. A win is a win, and this was a particularly thrilling and satisfying one. Their 37-34 win (another fourth quarter comeback!) over the Cowboys gave them a half  game lead over Dallas in the NFC East.

Looks like the Giants-Cowboys showdown in the final week of the season is going to be a very significant one.

Observations from the game:

-There was, of course, lots of buzz about the fact that Ahmad Bradshaw didn’t start or play in the entire first half for disciplinary reasons. It sounded like he was late to curfew. I didn’t think it was as big a deal as so many people were making it out to be. Nothing wrong with Tom Coughlin sticking to his guns. And honestly, Brandon Jacobs played so well throughout the entire game- averaging close to six yards per carry- that the Giants didn’t really miss him too much.

The running game has looked much better in the past two weeks, which is an encouraging sign for a team that has struggled with running the ball all year, and needs to win big down the stretch.

-I wish Kevin Gilbride knew that he’s allowed to call a play in the red zone that’s not a fade in the back corner of the endzone. We all know that it’s coming at this point. Variety is the spice of life, so mix it up a little please.

-That’s not the only bone to pick with Gilbride’s play calling either. Towards both the end of the second quarter and a little more than halfway through the fourth, the Giants had a third and short around midfield and both times, Gilbride had Eli Manning take a shot downfield. Why would you not focus on getting the first down there? There’s the “they were trying to catch the defense off-guard” argument, but Dallas didn’t look fooled on either play to me. (more…)