SIGNED 

T Will Beatty – A priority coming into free agency, Beatty re-signed to a 5-year deal. Will likely be the opening day left tackle. 
DT Cullen Jenkins – Perhaps the team’s biggest offseason addition, the Giants signed Jenkins away from the rival Eagles to fill the starting DT spot vacated by Chris Canty’s departure.
CB Aaron Ross – Our old friend is back to provide depth and guard against another year of Corey Webster underperformance.
DT Shaun Rogers – Back after blood clot kept him out last year.
RB Ryan Torain – Back to add RB depth behind Andre Brown and David Wilson.
K Josh Brown – With Lawrence Tynes on the way out, Brown is the frontrunner to win the kicker’s job.
LB Keith Rivers – Signed one-year deal and will have first crack at replacing Michael Boley’s role. Played well in the limited time he saw last year.
S Ryan Mundy – Steelers castoff will try to be the Giants 3rd safety behind Stevie Brown and Antrel Rolle.
TE Brandon Myers – Hopes to follow in the footsteps of Kevin Boss, Jake Ballard and Martellus Bennett as TEs that Eli Manning turned into household names.
LB Dan Connor – Expected to replace Chase Blackburn at MLB.
WR Louis Murphy – Will provide Depth at WR with Domenik Hixon and Ramses Barden both free agents and likely to sign elsewhere.
QB David Carr – The only tandem of #1 draft pick QBs in the NFL stays intact for another year.
G Kevin Boothe – Versatile offensive lineman is back for another year.
DT Mike Patterson – Another former Eagle DT to help fix the run defense.

GONE

TE Martellus Bennett – Signed four-year, $20 million deal with Chicago. Leaves the Giants after short-lived success playing with Eli Manning. This worked out really well for Kevin Boss.
S Kenny Phillips – Signed with Philadelphia for one-year deal for very little money. Have to believe Jerry Reese doubts his ability to stay on the field.
DT Chris Canty – After being released, landed with Ravens. Maybe the biggest loss of the offseason, but offset by the addition of Cullen Jenkins.
LB Chase Blackburn – Agreed to two-year deal with Carolina after Connor addition. The Super Bowl folk hero will be missed.
DE Osi Umenyiora – Signed with his hometown Atlanta Falcons after publicly feuding with management for years. Sad to see him go nevertheless.
WR Domenik Hixon – Another Giant heads to Carolina to join Dave Gettleman.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS 

K Lawrence Tynes – The team wanted to re-sign Tynes, but his asking price was too high. Will always be remembered for sending the Giants to 2 Super Bowls with clutch overtime field goals.
DT Rocky Bernard – Good player, but may be the odd man out with all the other additions to the defensive line.
WR Ramses Barden – We’ll always have the Carolina game.
TE Travis Beckum – Injuries hampered Giants career.
T Sean Locklear – We’ll see later this summer based on knee recovery.
CB Justin Tryon – The Giants need corners, but maybe not this one.
RB Kregg Lumpkin – Likely gone with Brown, Wilson and Torrain already in the mix.
CB Brian Witherspoon – Has to come back from another ACL tear.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS

WR Victor Cruz – You may have heard of him.
S Stevie Brown – Signed his second-round tender. Gave Giants the freedom to let go of Kenny Phillips. Led the league in takeaways last year.
RB Andre Brown – Tendered at second-round level. Should be the opening day starter to replace Ahmad Bradshaw.
TE Bear Pascoe – Giants already re-signed blocking tight end.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS

DE Adrian Tracy – Already tendered. Could compete for fourth DE spot. Has already drawn comparisons to Osi Umenyiora, which isn’t too shabby.
C Jim Cordle – Re-signed and back to provide much-needed O-line depth.
DE Justin Trattou – Trattou is back and may compete with Tracy as extra pass rusher.

(list C/O ESPN)

19. New York Giants
Manti Te’o
Linebacker, Notre Dame

Ignore all of the hoaxes and negative press Te’o has received since the national championship game. No matter what happened there, Te’o is one heck of a football player and a natural leader. The Giants would be a great fit.

To quote Charlie Brown “Good Grief.” If it wasn’t for the fact that Te’o was on such a memorable team, I don’t believe any of this stuff would really matter. He’s a really good college linebacker with a lot to prove at the next level, but he’s no Lawrence Taylor. As a matter of fact, in my opinion he’s the third best middle linebacker in this draft behind, Alec Ogletree and Kevin Minter. It will take years to know the truth, but I’m not buying.

19. New York Giants – Ezekial Ansah, Defensive End, BYU

Ansah is a freak athlete who still has so much untapped potential. Ansah is still new to the game, but he has the natural talent to join the Giants defensive line and learn from their veterans. Is there any better way to compliment a player like Jason Pierre-Paul than with a player who can develop into his clone?

Ansah has been considered to be a first round talent for a while now, and why not! He has the size and strength to make an immediate impact for an already stout G-men defense. The only thing better than one JPP is a younger clone to match his intensity on the other side. The Giants should be thrilled to get a player of his caliber at 19. My only fear is that with a great combine he may be chosen by a team like New Orleans at 15 as they are in desperate need of a pass rush.

Could Ansah be the Ansah for the Giants pass rush woes?

- Giants beat Eagles at home

- Redskins beat Cowboys in DC

- Lions beat Bears in Detroit

- Packers beat Vikings in Minnesota

None of these outcomes are totally impossible, but the Lions beating the Bears in a game Chicago has to win is the most unlikely. Although, the way the Giants have been playing lately, their game against the Eagles (in what will likely be Andy Reid’s last game as coach) might be a problem as well. It’s really difficult to understand how a team that returned nearly every starter from a Super Bowl champion and that tore apart the 2 best teams on their schedule (San Francisco and Green Bay) is staring down the possibility of missing the playoffs, but here we are.

It’s true that the Giants probably don’t deserve to be in the playoffs if they can’t win the games they know they need to, but it’s still disappointing to see them play their worst so often when their best is still so good.  Yes, the Giants have championships in 2 of the last 5 years, and have won in the most dramatic ways of any team in recent memory, but you never know how long these championship windows will remain open. The only teams that win in today’s NFL are ones that have franchise quarterbacks, and the Giants are one of the few teams that do. They were lucky to have the #4 pick in a 2003 draft with 3 great quarterback prospects, and they were lucky that Ernie Accorsi pulled the trigger on a trade that landed them the guy who eventually became the best of the bunch. You just can’t know when the stars will align like that again.

The point is this: I’m not ready to give up on the 2012 Giants. I’m hoping against hope that everything breaks the Giants’ way on Sunday and they sneak into a playoff spot that they couldn’t earn for themselves. It’s not because I’m a desperate fanatic who’s lost grip on reality, but because I’m a desperate fanatic who knows that his team is capable of putting together a Super Bowl run when the football world least expects it. I was shocked when the Giants didn’t pull out a win in Baltimore because they’ve proven that they play their best when it’s most necessary, and that their best is better than anyone else’s in football. I know it’s in them to shock me again by making a run deep into the playoffs – I’m just hoping they somehow get that chance.

- The Redskins’ first touchdown came off of an amazing stroke of luck/horror (depending on your rooting interest) when RG3 fumbled the ball into Josh Morgan’s hands, who subsequently ran it in for the score. There’s not a whole lot the defense can do about a play like that, but it was good to see they were going after the ball, as a fumble by Alfred Morris bounced the Giants’ way later in the game. I don’t know what Griffin did in his past life to amass his unbelievable karma. He’s like Mark Sanchez, only the exact opposite.

- Ahmad Bradshaw was amazing. He carried the ball 24 times (his third-highest total of the season) for 103 hard-earned yards, and converted every big third-and-short against a Redskins running defense that only allowed 89.2 yards/game coming in (3rd-best in the NFL). We’re going to need more performances like that out of Bradshaw with Brown likely out for the season, and he appears to be up to the challenge.

- Sean Locklear went out with a gruesome knee injury in the fourth quarter. I assume it was gruesome because that’s what everyone’s calling it, but I’ve learned not to look at football replays that are described that way anymore so I never actually saw it. I did see that the Giants’ pass protection, which was pretty good up to that point, really suffered after he was replaced by David Diehl. If Locklear is out for an extended period (and it sounds likely), this will continue to be a problem.

- Eli Manning looked good for most of the night. The Giants offense started out really agressive, going for a couple passes deep down the field to Nicks and Cruz that juuuuuuuuust missed, and a ton of connections to Martellus Bennett. Eli finally hit Cruz on a big 49-yarder in the second half, but barely went down the field after that. As soon as the Redskins took the lead, Bradshaw started getting carry after carry, whether called by the sideline or checked to by Manning at the line. Considering they were going against the 3rd-ranked rushing D and the 29th-ranked passing D, I thought this was somewhat quizzical.

- The Giants’ run defense had a tough night, but I find it pretty hard to blame them. ESPN highlighted a bunch of plays where the defensive ends got caught guessing wrong on the Redskins’ pistol option plays. I was watching at home and trying to guess where the ball was going on those plays, and I did NOT do well. Hard to expect our lineman to do much better in the heat of the game.

- The red zone: our old nemesis. The Giants came into the game scoring touchdowns on about 49% of their red zone possessions, which isn’t gonna get it done. I was hoping that these concerns were behind us after that number jumped to 83% last week against the Packers, but alas, no such luck. Despite moving the ball well through the first 3 quarters, the Giants could only muster 16 points due to 3 promising drives that stalled out, leading to Lawrence Tynes field goal attempts. The second try saw the usually-automatic Tynes miss from 43-yards away, which turned out to be sorta important.

- The Giants came in to this game as the second-least penalized team in the NFL, averaging only 4.4/game. Well, that average is gonna go up a bit. They were called for 9 penalties, two of which put the Giants in tough field position coming off kickoffs and one that wiped out a first down on what ended up being the Giants’ final offensive possession. I suspect Coughlin may mention this in practice before the next game.

Despite all that, the Giants had the ball with 5 minutes to go, down only one with a chance to take the lead. With Eli at the helm, we usually do pretty well in those circumstances, but a win last night would have put the Giants in a great position to coast into the playoffs without much stress over these last 4 games, so obviously they could have none of that. Part of the beauty of being a Giants fan is their knack for putting together dramatic victories, but part of the horror is the anxiety they induce along the way. Next Sunday, an afternoon home game looms against the Saints. The Giants must win that one to ensure they maintain their lead in the division.

What, you thought it would be easy?

What was the inspiration behind making a comprehensive book like this?

Sports Illustrated has legendary photography and great writers who have covered the game and know the sport as well as anyone. There has been interest in these projects for a long time, so the time was right to put the groups together. Don’t forget the list includes two writers who vote for the Hall of Fame and another (Tim Layden) who is easily among America’s greatest writers.

 
Were there any intense arguments over the rankings of certain players?

There is always discussion, but respect takes over. It wasn’t that hard to reach a consensus for most. Great players and great moments rise to the top.

 
Do you feel there were any snubs on your Top 10 list?

I think all the lists were very balanced. They are reflective of their era. The running backs list has very few current or recently retired guys because the game used to be more running oriented. Now we have have more receivers because the game is dictated by the pass. Some of the surprises were who got on the lists, like Cris Carter. He is obviously a guy who the writers have great respect for.

 
Are there any other books like this in the works?

“Steelers Pride” was a book that we also did recently just about the organization and it was very well received. You will probably see some others like that over time, and this type of book would work well in other sports. They take a great amount of time, at least a year, to plan and execute properly.

 
Do you see any current rookie making it in the Top 10 by careers end?

Way too hard to predict not just rookies, but any current player, so we shall see. These are very exclusive lists and they are a bit arbitrary, so it is hard to predict greatness.

 
Since GMenHQ is primarily a Giants website, Is there a possibility any current Giants player can sneak into the Top 10 in the future?

The transient nature of the NFL these days, and the salary cap, makes that difficult to predict. Would LT in the current system have spent is whole career in New York? You hope so, but you never know. Eli is certainly making a case, but there is a long way to go, even for Peyton Manning. That is what makes the lists so strong. Its not just about today, its about all-time. Who knows where even someone like Coach Coughlin will end up on an all-time list down the road.

I noticed that the book is also available in e-book format. Can we expect to see this for every book and was the conversion process difficult considering the beautiful images throughout the book?

That is really a tech question and there is no one better than the folks at SI to solve that. You see what is being done in the digital space with the magazine and multimedia and it is the same with books. It is where people will consume media down the line.

I would like to thank Bill Syken, Jerry Milani, and the fine folks at Sports Illustrated for taking the time to answer some questions for us here at GMenHQ. For more news, updates, and analysis…Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/ERobertsNY (@ERobertsNY)

- The game opened with the Giants and Packers trading opening drive touchdowns thanks to a couple big plays from Ahmad Bradshaw and Jordy Nelson. The screen to Bradshaw was a perfect mix of great scheme, perfect blocking and an amazing individual effort by Bradshaw. He’s one of several Giants players (see: Hakeem Nicks) that obviously benefited from a perfectly-timed bye week. He looked energized all game and set the tone for the offense with his running. The Packers touchdown came after Webster bit badly on Nelson’s fake stop route, but he made nearly the same play later in the game and picked off a real stop route, so all is forgiven.

- The offensive line. Holy crap were they amazing. Eli was only sacked once (although I honestly can’t remember it) and had plenty of time in the pocket to pick apart a pass defense that was below-average even before they lost 4 starters for this game. The line also opened up huge holes for Bradshaw and Brown (more on him later), who averaged over 5 yards per carry between them and scored 2 touchdowns on the ground.

- The O-Line looked even better when compared to that of the Packers. The Giants’ D punished Aaron Rodgers to the tune of 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception. Rodgers was pressured on 17 of his 33 dropbacks, which is unbelievable, but I was actually more impressed by the secondary than the defensive line. There were a few times in the first half when Rodgers had all day in the pocket and no one to throw to, forcing him to either throw the ball away or tuck it down and run. When the score got out of hand in the second half, that’s when the D-line took over.

- We have to talk about Eli’s 13-yard run. On 3rd-and-7 from the Green Bay 34-yard line, the seas parted and Eli had a clear path to run for the first down. But our hero didn’t run to the first down line and slide, oh no. He lowered his shoulder into Tramon Williams and plunged forward for another yard. I’d like to believe that Eli fought for that extra yardage to inspire the team, but I think the much more likely explanation is that he’s afraid to slide after this. In a perfect world, I’d like to see him slide – properly – in that situation, but I honestly don’t know if he’s capable. After the game, Eli said he didn’t slide because he wasn’t sure whether he had the first down even though he was 6 yards past the marker, which is so Eli. I also don’t believe it for a second.

- The only damper on the evening was obviously the news of Andre Brown’s broken fibula, which puts his season in jeopardy. Brown has been great as a handcuff for Bradshaw, who always seems to be less effective when asked to carry a heavy load. Brown actually had more carries than Bradshaw last night (13 vs. 10), but Ahmad will obviously be the workhorse from here on out with David Wilson serving as the primary backup. Back in September, I wrote that the Giants may have wiffed on Wilson if all he turned out to be was a decent kick returner and he continued to be irrelevant on offense. Ignore that. He’s super important now.

That’s it for now. The Giants have another big game coming up next Monday night versus the suddenly second-place Redskins with an opportunity to put some real distance between themselves and the rest of the NFC East. The sun is shining and the Giants are 7-4. Today is a good day.

Last year, both the Giants and 49ers were teams of extremes. The Giants had a terrible run game, but a high-flying pass offense that led them to multiple come-from-behind victories. Their defense had the best pass-rush in the game, but was very weak behind it. The 49ers, on the other hand, were a conservative pass offense with an excellent run game and arguably the best overall defense in the NFL. A season later, The G-men have become more balanced, while the 49ers have stuck to the blueprint of defense and ball control.

The Giants again have a high-flying pass offense, averaging the third most yards through the air of any team in the NFL. But this year, that passing attacked is flanked by a serviceable, if not dominant, rushing attack. Through week 5, the Giants have averaged 120.2 yards per game on the ground, good for 12th in the league, and have already matched the number of 100-yard rushing games they had all of last year (2). Most importantly, the Giants have turned these yards into points, outscoring every team other than the New England Patriots.

On defense, the Giants have had similar results, but achieved them in a very different way. A season ago, the Giants compiled 48 sacks, behind only Minnesota and Philadelphia for the league lead. This year, they have only 8, placing them 24th in the NFL and prompting the defensive line to express frustration at their own lack of production. Despite so few sacks, however, the overall performance of the defense hasn’t been that different from that of the Giants’ Super Bowl team in 2011. If anything, this year’s version has been slightly improved, as they’ve allowed fewer yards (376 v. 372) and fewer points (25 v. 22) per game.

The 49ers, on the other hand, have stuck to their blueprint from a year ago that saw them improve by 7 wins over 2010. Last year’s team was led by its defense, which allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game and the second-fewest points of any team. This year’s ranks? Second in yards, and first in points. On offense, the additions of Mario Manningham and Randy Moss were intended to bring the 49ers passing offense into the 21st century, but those two moves have accounted for a measly 12 yard improvement in passing yards per game. Where their offense has improved is in the running game, where what was already a solid attack in 2011 (127 yards/game, 8th in the league) has become the best in the NFL (196 yards/game, 1st in the league).

These are two very different, yet incredibly well-matched teams, with the Giants’ strength on offense nearly equaled by the Niners success on defense and vice versa. The most notable difference between this match up and the NFC championship game will likely be the weather, with sloppy and cold conditions replaced by sun and 70 degrees. Though I doubt the game will follow the same dramatic narrative of last January, one thing should stay the same: this is gonna be a good one.

Ahmad Bradshaw: The biggest scare came in the first quarter when Bradshaw left with an apparent hand injury, but those fears were assuaged after the game. According to Bradshaw, he left as a result of popping a cyst in his left hand. “There was a little pain in it” he said, “It feels good. We’re just being precautious about it.” Bradshaw is the main ground option on an offense that had the fewest rushing yards in the league last year, and so an injury to him would be devastating. He may be the most important player on the offense outside of Eli Manning, so it’s very comforting to hear that his injury wasn’t serious.

Jayron Hosley: Hosley made a splash with his 77-yard interception return in the second quarter, but the story after the game was a toe injury that had him in a walking boot on his right foot. According to Coach Coughlin, Hosley suffered a “turf-toe type” of injury and it’s unclear how serious it will turn out to be. Turf-toe generally sidelines a player for about four weeks, so it’s possible that the injury will keep him off of the field into the regular season. This is a blow for the Giants, considering the uncertainty surrounding their cornerback situation in the wake of the injury to Terrell Thomas and how good Hosley had looked thus far. His injury means that, for now, Antrel Rolle is the Giants’ nickel cornerback. The team doesn’t have a choice at this point, but having the Giants’ leading tackler from a year ago playing out of position significantly weakens the defense.

Mark Herzlich: Herzlich suffered a hip pointer in the third quarter, but the injury does not appear to jeopardize his availability for the season opener. “Right now it’s not too bad,” he said of the injury. “I think getting ice on it right away was helpful. The swelling stayed low.” Herzlich may miss some practice time, however, which is important for a young player who is competing with Chase Blackburn for the starting middle linebacker position.

Adrian Tracy: Tracy was forced out of the game with a hamstring injury, but he is not expected to miss any playing time as a result.

This fall, the 5-person Tailgate32 crew, led by Mike and John Trupiano, will criss-cross the country in an RV, hosting a public tailgate at a home game for every NFL team. Sounds crazy, right? It is, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s these guys. The project aims to capture the essence of American tailgating and football fandom in every city they visit. And, get this, you can track their adventure. Following each game, the Tailgate32 crew will release a fast-paced 6-minute episode online, documentary style. Feel free to live vicariously through Mike and John.

In the meantime, head to their website and watch the preseason trailer that was just released for an idea of what to expect. It’s looking good!

New York is the first stop of the tour and the chance for Giants fans to show Tailgate32 what football fandom is all about. Come out to the game, wear your Giants blue and find them in parking lot. Join the conversation and tell them what foods to grill, beers to drink and tailgate crews to seek out on their website (http://tailgate32.com), facebook (http://facebook.com/tailgate32) or twitter (http://twitter.com/tailgate_32).

The “Battle for New York”, as the NFL Network is touting it, or the quest for bragging rights as the announcer says in the voice over.  Wow, could you imagine the amount of bragging that could happen this week if the Jets, and Tim Tebow, actually beat the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants in a pre-season game where the starters will only play about 25 plays?  They will own New York, this magical team that manages to win this test of wills, this statement game so early in the pre-season.  I’m sure the Giants view it a little differently.

The Giants who will be out tonight are: WR Hakeem Nicks, CB Terrell Thomas, CB Brandon Bing,CB Michael Coe, LB Jacquain Williams, LB Michael Boley, LT Will Beatty, DT Shaun Rogers, DT Marcus Thomas and DT Marvin Austin.  Once again there are no surprises found on this list, but there is some disappointment in not having the ability to see Marvin Austin and Will Beatty participate in a game.  It is getting dangerously close to the opener and these players need to show they will be ready to go. Nicks and Thomas are forbidden to participate due to new rules found in the CBA, since they haven’t been ruled active for at least three days.

But, fear not The Jets, and Tm Tebow, vow to show up and play like Wildcats!

“Vito”

The merry-go-round will continue even if players start to get healthier.  The team will want to hold guys back from practicing to have then rest and recover, and therefore they will want to keep the roster number at 90 as long as they are able.  This was the precise reason the number of roster spots for camp was changed, coaches need players to practice with, even if it’s not a guy that will make it through to the final roster.

The Giants then signed DB Laron Scott, and DT Bobby Skinner.  Scott is a CB/ return specialist out of Georgia Southern, while Bobby Skinner listed at 6’3″ and 300 lbs is a rookie from local Montclair State.

I believe the injury to Trattou will hurt the most in the long run.  Justin had taken on the Dave Tollefson role along the defensive line and now that rotating depth position is open again.  The Giants need to either get healthy quickly or have one of the young kids step up. If either Rocky Bernard or Chris Canty returns healthy soon, then the concern is not so great.  This has now become the most interesting spot to watch come Saturday night when the Giants face the Jets and their running attack.

Q. With so many injuries to your WR corps, is there talk of signing anyone else, and who will be active Saturday night?

A. Amazingly enough, there has been no real talk about signing anybody.  Frankly, it’s shocking.  There is a rumor
that keeps popping up about the Jets trading for Percy Harvin, but I don’t think the Jets will be able to pull it off.   Actives for Saturday should be Stephen Hill, Patrick Turner,
Jeremy Kerley, Eron Riley, and Jordan White.

Q. Will the Jets run The Wildcat exclusively in the second half with Tebow to get some practice, or are they thinking of keeping it under wraps?

A. The Jets have been so secretive about the Wildcat, it’s amazing. They didn’t even begin to work on it until a closed practice.  They haven’t said much about the plan for Saturday, but my hunch is we will see very little of it, if any at all.

Q.What do you think is the biggest area of improvement needed for theJets?

A. Offensive line.  Nothing about the Jets, and their plans for 2012 will go forward if the line doesn’t get better.  Everything falls apart when the line falls apart, it has to improve, starting Saturday night.

Q. What position battles are you most excited to see?

One oddball position is kicker, which has been almost a dead heat between Josh Brown and Nick Folk. Another one I think all Jets
fans are watching is the battle at right tackle.  The other big question is who is going to step up as the number two running back behind Shonn Greene.

Q. Any no names we might be surprised with Saturday night?

With Sione Pouha out especially, watch for a defensive lineman named Damon Harrison.  He is an undrafted free agent nose tackle
from William and Penn University, and he is huge.  He only played a portion of the fourth quarter last week, but nobody could block him.  This should be a big week for him.  Another guy to watch for is a cornerback named Ellis Lankster, who has had a big camp.

My answers to his interrogation appear here: My Answers

According to NJ.COM:

The Giants have signed defensive tackle Carlton Powell, according to a tweet from his agent Jason Bernstein.  The Giants have also signed DT Oren Wilson.

The Giants had lots of bodies fighting for the position, now they are down to a precious few.  Hopefully Marvin Austin isn’t hurt too badly and can recover with some rest.  Hopefully Chris Canty retuns for week one. Hopefully Linval Joseph can continue to progress at a good pace.  That’s a lot of hoping for one position.

Look for Marcus Kuhn, and Dwayne Hendricks to get a lot of reps Saturday night against the Jets.  This will be their chance to show what they can do, and it would be great if they could respond and step in right away.  Hendricks showed flashes last week, and this week Tom Coughlin praised him for his hard work and his ability to “Embarrass” people who thought he was going to be a push over.

The Giants will have the luxury of being home for 35 days.  Because of the odd scheduling at the beginning of the regular season, and because they share a stadium with their next pre-season opponent, the Giants will be able to stay in place for the next 35 days.

The Giants will walk across the parking lot (not literally) on Saturday night for their “Road” game against the Jets, then they will host the Bears and Patriots in their final two pre-season games.  The Giants open the regular season at home on Wednesday September 5th vs. the Cowboys, and then will wait 11 days to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into town.  The next time they leave New Jersey will be to face the Carolina Panthers on Thursday  September 20th.

This should allow the team plenty of good practice and meeting time, and also some home cooking.

In Super Bowl XLII, Burress caught a game-winning touchdown to help the Giants beat the Patriots.

Plaxico Burress found himself in trouble win when he shot himself in the leg while at a nightclub on Novemver 29, 2008. He was sentenced to two years in prison for violating gun laws in New York  in September 2009 . Burress pleaded guilty to a lesser firarms charge.

After being released three months early for good behavior, he signed with the Jets for the 2011 season.  He scored eight touchdowns, 612 yards and 45 receptions. He tied the team high for TDs and receptions.

Recently there were rumors circulating that Burress would be signing with the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys organization denies any internal conversations about bringing Burress to Dallas.