“First we want to let him build himself back up,” Fewell said, a few hours before Thomas’ ACL injury was revealed. “He hasn’t played for a year so we want to let him get his legs up underneath him and get comfortable playing football again. Then we’ll go from there, we don’t want to aim too high for him and definitely not set the bar too low for him. We just want to work with Terrell and where he is football-wise, and then we’ll start to use him as we see fit.”

Obviously, the Giants are a better team with Terrell Thomas, but it seems from those words from defensive coordinator Perry Fewell that they are more prepared for it this time around, especially so early in camp.  Look for Michael Coe to step up.  He has the speed, and the ability, now we need to see if he can put it all together.  Prince, Coe, Bing, Hosley, Hughes, Bruce Johnson, Molden, and Justin Tryon are the other players that will need to step up and play opposite Corey Webster.

The fact that Jerry Reese signed Terrell Thomas to an incentive laden contract this off season with only 1 million guaranteed out of the 28 million also shows the Giants were cautious about his recovery.

Thankfully we have most of training camp to figure it out.

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“I can’t say he’ll stay there permanently, but right now Chase is our guy and no one’s clearly beaten him out for the position,’’ defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. “Chase has some distinct advantages over some of the other guys. I said to the defense in our meeting, if I want to rewrite my playbook, I would get Chase’s notes and rewrite our playbook. When I ask a question or when I talk about a defense in there, he puts the addendums in. So he has been the best extension of me so far because he probably knows as much about our defense and how to make the calls and run our defense as any of those linebackers, with the exception of Michael Boley, right now. That’s pretty good.

The have many names for the MLB position on the roster currently. They also have second year player Mark Herzlich and to a lesser extent Keith Rivers and Greg Jones. The Giants will be looking to continue to add depth to the LB’s during the offseason and there are many unknowns regarding the long-term derability of Chase Blackburn. However, no one can argue that he is a great story, plays a solid MLB and brings a leadership to the defense that was needed to lead us to the Super Bowl. No matter who you are you have to be pulling for Mr. Blackburn.

Remember you can follow your GmenHq writers on twitter @tom_brant @gmenhq @erobertsny @Pessimets_

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/giants/blackburn_tops_offseason_depth_chart_1Kfoty3yOdEWaGUdCkX1VM#ixzz1y3gglEDN

• Bill Polian and Chris Polian were both fired in Indy. Caldwell is “safe” for now.
• Raheem Morris was fired by Tampa. He went 17-31 in three years.
• Steve Spagnuolo was canned by the Rams. He went 10-38 in three years.

I know that this is a late posting, but my computer got hit with a major virus, and this is the first chance that I’ve had to post. I apologize for my tardiness, but I hope that everyone understands.

The good news is that the G-Men won the battle of NY, and made everyone’s Christmas a little merrier, unless you’re a Jets fan. By virtue of the win, the Giants still control their own destiny (they would have anyway, with a win over Dallas this coming week), but the Giants’ emotional state is probably better for it. As is typical of the guys in blue, the game was a microcosm of the season: flashes of brilliance with periods of lackluster performance. More after the jump.From a statistical viewing, the game was somewhat even. The punting game was virtually equal, with each team punting 9 times. The Giants had a 43 yard average, while the Jets averaged 42 yards. Tynes drilled two field goals, while Coach Coughlin iced the Jets kicker, and Mr. Folk missed his one attempt. Offensively, the Giants running attack showed some signs of life in the second half. The rushing totals were ordinary, but after only 6 yards gained in the first half the G-Men came up with a respectable tally for the game. Both Jacobs and Bradshaw literally ran over people. 26 attempts for 115 yards versus 25 attempts and 105 yards for the Jets. About even, although it seemed as if the Jets secondary wanted no part of either of the Giants main backs. (more…)

Perry is looking for answers....

The New York Giants enter their day off today as the leaders in the NFC East. However, all is not rosy in East Rutherford. The Giants may be in first place, but everyone knows the Giants cannot make a run in the playoffs with the defense playing the way they are.

Here are some of the awful statistics that represent and define who the Giants are defensively:

• Ranked 30th in Yards Allowed Per Game at 391.6
• Ranked 27th in Points Allowed Per Game at 26.8
• Ranked 22nd in Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game at 127.9
• Ranked 29th in Passing Yards Allowed Per game at 263.7
• Ranked 10th in INTs with 15
• Ranked 6th in Sacks with 36
• Ranked 26th in Total TDs allowed with 26.

In his weekly press conference today Perry Fewell seemed to bring more heat than his defense has in the past few weeks.  When asked what he had told his troops this week Fewell didn’t hold back:

“Obviously we need to play with more energy. We have to play with more passion. That was a game against a playoff football team, we have aspirations of being a playoff team. Sometimes it’s just the will. It’s the will to get it done. We didn’t will ourselves to get it done. ”

When asked how he felt about the teams play last Monday in New Orleans where they surrendered 49 points:

“I was pissed, okay. I was getting them going Monday night and we’re getting going this week. Player friendly or not, it’s all about winning. It’s all about being successful on the football field. I think that they got the message and we all understand what’s on the line for us.”

Both Fewell and Head Coach Tom Coughlin praised the play and hustle of Jason Pierre-Paul.  They explained that that is how the entire team needs to play to be successful, not just one player.  He stated that he thought his players did not go all out on every play. When asked if he saw his players stop short on a few plays: (more…)

Just like last week against the 49ers, they had us all on the edge of our seats, anticipating another miraculous fourth quarter comeback from Eli Manning and company, and once again, they came up just short. The 17-10 loss to the Eagles means the Giants dropped to 6-4 and 1-2 in division games. They’re now second in the NFC East behind Dallas.

A few observations from the game:

-One of the first things my father taught me about football was that it starts and ends at the line of scrimmage, and tonight’s game against the Eagles showed me how right he was. The Giants offensive and defensive lines alike were outmanned by the Eagles throughout the game. Eli Manning was given very little time to throw and had to scramble most of the night. Brandon Jacobs and DJ Ware had few holes with which to work. And the defensive line got next to no pressure on Vince Young, giving him time to throw and get comfortable. Frankly, I was amazed they even managed the one sack they did get.

Chris Canty did play a good game though.

-Speaking of the defensive line, I have to admit that I was looking forward to see Osi Umenyiora get to suit up against Philadelphia. He traditionally plays well against them (who can forget his glorious six sack game back in 2007?) so to see him as a non-factor all evening was a bit of a disappointment.

-One more thing about the defensive line- has anyone else noticed that almost all of their pressure seems to come from the outside? When they’re effective at getting to the quarterback it’s not that a big deal but if they miss, it leaves the middle open, allowing opposing quaterbacks to either step up and throw or scramble for some yardage. That was definitely evident tonight, especially with Umenyiora being shutdown by the left tackle all game.

-Congratulations to Prince Amukamara on his first career interception! It had be a big confidence-booster for a rookie to get his first pick less than seven minute into his NFL career. I was overall pretty pleased with Amukamara’s first game and it benefits the Giants to have another cornerback in rotation.

-Mark Herzlich was decent overall in his first career start at linebacker. He had a few spectacular plays against the run but his pass coverage needs some work.

-Actually, that statement about Herzlich applies to all the Giants linebackers. Just look at how Kiwanuka got smoked on Steve Smith’s touchdown. As they did last week, the Giants did a great job of shutting down the run but the linebackers kept leaving guys open. That’s the one area where they really miss Michael Boley.

-The poor play of the offensive line was partially to blame for the poor run game, but how much do the Giants miss Ahmad Bradshaw?

-The Giants now have a defensive takeaway in 23 straight games, dating back to last season.

-I guess Jake Ballard is human after all. He had three pretty significant drops that could’ve been difference-makers. But it’s hard to complain after what he’s done for them at tight end this year and he came back and had a big catch after leaving the game to get his elbow examined. (Thankfully the x-rays came back negative.)

-On the bright side, I think it’s become more evident each week that Victor Cruz is the real deal and not just a fluke. He still needs a little work when it comes to dropping passes but he’s been extremely clutch for New York all season and helped the Giants set up another potential comeback. New York’s depth at wide receiver is astonishing.

-While we’re on the topic of Cruz, am I the only one who gets nervous when I see him returning punts over Aaron Ross? I just keep thinking about how Domenik Hixon’s back-to-back season ending injuries came from returning punts and I’d hate to see the Giants lose Cruz that way too.

-When DeSean Jackson negated his own 50 yard reception by taunting defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, I found myself wondering how he can expect the Eagles to pay him the big bucks when he keeps pulling stunts like that.

-The Giants continue to struggle on third downs. Once again, they had trouble converting third downs on offense and the defense gave up six third downs on the Eagles game-winning drive. That’s one problem that definitely needs addressing.

They were without their leading receiver. Their starting running back, full back and center all missed the game due to injury. Their 1st pick overall in the 2011 NFL Draft made the trip, but did not play.

Of the six categories (ten positions within each slot), not one…NOT ONE single member of the New York Giants earned themselves a slot in the NFL Weekly leader board. They were shutdown for the entire first half. Just how did Big Blue pull off their biggest upset of the season? We’ve got answers. Join me on this incredibly inspiring fact finding recap.
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I am definitely a fan of this move. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I strongly believe the Giants needed to sign a corner with experience to have any semblance of depth in the secondary this season.

Last season with the Falcons, Williams was the nickel corner, and, from talking to Falcons fans, did a real nice job for a team that went 13-3 in the regular season. He was injured for their only playoff game, and several fans believe that was part of the reason the Packers were able to torch them through the air. (So I guess that can be seen as good news and bad news. Good news that he had a true impact on a 13-3 team as their nickel corner, but bad news that the guy has had injury problems when he is coming in to fortify a position because of our injury problems.) While he filled the role nicely in Atlanta last season, I am not sure Fewell is planning on naming Williams as the nickel corner this year. I still believe Fewell favors the three-safety set he implemented last season, and will likely allow Grant to fill that role again. This doesn’t mean Williams role is going to be limited to “security blanket.” All good teams need six good defensive backs, and Williams will be the sixth man in this unit. Think of him in the same role Aaron Ross played last season.

Speaking of Aaron Ross, I think he has a good chance of stepping up this season. Back in 2007 he made a major impact for the team. During the week 3 comeback against the Redskins, one of the key changes to the defense was the insertion of Ross into the starting lineup. He had a stellar season that year, and continued his success in 2008 when he and Corey Webster formed one of the best corner duos in the NFL. The following season he was hurt and Thomas took his spot. Thomas played terrific, and, due to problems at safety, when Ross was healthy he was forced to play out of position. He was healthy all of last season, but was buried on the depth chart, and struggled when assigned to cover the slot receiver.

I think there are two players you can compare Ross to. First is Osi Umenyiora. He was injured in 2008, and healthy in 2009, but failed to make his usual impact. In 2010 he returned to form, and many people believed it was because he needed a full season to recover. If that is true, then 2010 was Ross’ season to recover. The second player is Corey Webster. Webster was a talented corner who lost his confidence early on in his career. He had a stellar game against the Bucs in the playoffs in 2007 and has completely turned it around. Forcing Ross to play out of position in 2009 and, to an extent, in 2010 could have hurt his confidence. With the coaching staff granting Ross’ wish to stay on the outside receiver, he has seemed way more confident this camp. Hopefully that confidence will help with the turnaround. (Yes, by this point it is fairly obvious that by compare, I meant make excuses for. Still I think there is enough reason to believe that either one, or some combination of both of those was the reason he has kind of fallen off a bit from his first two seasons.) He got off to a nice start against the Bears this past Monday, and hopefully he can continue to build on that

Side note: as horrible as this is, this might be the perfect situation for Ross. Both Thomas and Ross are in contract years. Before the injury, there was no way Ross would be kept over Thomas. Now, if Ross has a stellar year, the Giants might have a hard time deciding which one to keep. Webster is still costing a lot against the cap, so I have my doubts the front office will be able to keep them both. Personally, I hope they bring Thomas back over Ross because I believe Thomas has turned into one of the leaders on this team, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is an amazing opportunity for Ross.

So, with this signing, and possibly another pick-up after roster cuts, the Giants should have enough talent at corner to make a playoff push, especially if Prince Amukamara comes back and plays well this season.

Hope Perry Fewell proves himself as the mastermind defensive coordinator he hopes the owners and GMs with head coaching questions believe he is.

Back when Steve Spagnuolo was defensive coordinator of the Giants, the safety situation was less than ideal. In 2007 the starters were Gibril Wilson and James Butler. In 2008 Gibril Wilson left to sign a big contract with the Raiders and James Butler and Michael Johnson became the starters. An injury to James Butler left Craig Dahl and Michael Johnson as the starting safeties. Johnson was a second year player who was a seventh round draft pick, and Craig Dahl was a rookie undrafted free agent.

Since their time with the Giants several have failed to show they are worthy of a starting spot. Wilson was cut by the Raiders and signed by the Dolphins, who later cut him and he signed with the Bengals. Butler signed with the Rams, but has lost his starting spot and was rumored to be in line to be released. Michael Johnson played terribly for the Giants in 2009 alongside CC Brown and was released this past offseason. He signed with the Lions and isn’t expected to win a starting spot. Craig Dahl is the only one of those guys still starting as he followed Spags to St. Louis. My point is that these players have proven that they are below average NFL players; however, while they were with the Giants they were never exposed as a weak spot. If Spags could do it with arguably the worst starting safeties in the NFL, then Fewell should find a way to make it work with Corey Webster and Aaron Ross at corner.

Clearly the problem right now is not the lack of talent at starter, it is with the depth. For starters, as stated earlier, having Grant fill in during nickel situations will be helpful. Secondly, Prince Amukamara’s injury won’t keep him sidelined all season. Finally, there are still free agents available. Clearly no one special, but still players that could play as your third corner and sixth defensive back in dime packages. Those names include Kelvin Hayden, Randall Gay, Ellis Hobbs, Lito Sheppard, and Brian Williams. Honestly, I would consider signing two of them. (whenever the Giants have injury problems like this, it tends to keep happening to that position. Think wide receiver and offensive line last season, defensive line in 2006, and linebackers in 2005)

With these moves or without these moves, the job will ultimately be up to Fewell. If I’m Fewell I look at this as an opportunity to showcase my talent. Like Spags did when he was defensive coordintor, Fewell will have to devise plays that either mask coverage, or create pressure on the quarterback. Simply put, if you believe Perry Fewell is a great defensive coordinator there should be nothing to worry about. This is his job. It’s not like defensive coordinators should expect to receive a defense with no holes in it. The Giants still have playmakers all over the field.

To me the question is not: Do the Giants have enough talent to win? It’s: How good of a coordinator is Perry Fewell?

While this was not my expectation, I can’t say that I’m really surprised. Kiwankuka had a similar role last season, and was making a big impact before his injury. I understand that was in a very limited amount of time, but the coaching staff has always been confident that Kiwanuka can make the transition to linebacker, and I am sure Perry Fewell will make sure that Kiwanuka’s primary role will still involve taking the opposing quarterback down.

As for Sintim, you have to wonder if this means the coaching staff has lost confidence in him. Recently linebackers coach Jim Hermann has come out to say that isn’t the case, but there must be some truth to it. If Sintim was performing at the level his draft status indicates, the coaching staff would want to do anything in their power to get him on the field. The fact that the Giants would rather give the snaps to Kiwanuka, even though Osi Umenyiora is currently on the sidelines, has to indicate some kind of displeasure with where Sintim currently is in his development.

As for Osi, this move indicates to me that the Giants are confident he will be on the field for them opening day. If they had any reservations about that, they would have Kiwanuka taking snaps at defensive end since he is the logical replacement for Osi in the starting lineup.

The expectations for the 2010 New York Giants safety regime were quite high, to put it mildly. This “inimitable” squadron turned out to be…well..not too bad. This, of course, is debatable. Despite a few bumps in the road, one of the Big Blue safeties was voted to the Pro Bowl.

Paralleling the children’s tale, “Goldilocks And The Three Bears” (minus Goldilocks), Deon Grant, Antrel Rolle and Kenny Phillips represent the three facets of a professional football player’s career. Phillips – a relative rookie. Rolle – close to the midpoint of his profession. Grant – a seasoned veteran with more days behind him than in front.
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