The 49ers acquired ex-Giants, Mario Manningham and Brandon Jacobs, after they had great success with big blue for many years. At the time, it seemed like a big loss for the Giants, but was expected after Manningham’s “Tyree-like” performance in the Super Bowl. So far this season, it is looking more like a blessing than a curse. The Giants have not missed them one bit with Rueben Randle and Andre Brown stepping up to fill the holes left.

Last night was Jacobs’ first game active this season, having one carry for one yard. Manningham, who was thought to become a huge part of the Niners offense, has only one touchdown this season through twelve weeks. He is averaging just 11.4 receiving yards a game.

There are still a few weeks to go in the regular season, but if San Francisco was smart, they would start using these players more often during their playoff run like the Giants did. Let’s hope that letting these players go will not haunt the Giants in the playoffs.

This year the opportunity to make an impact is clearly there for Barden to grab. The Giants depth at wide receiver will be put to the test in 2012. Mario Manningham is now catching passes in San Francisco thanks to free agency and big-play receiver Hakeem Nicks is rehabbing from a broken foot. If there was ever a chance for Barden to show the Giants he’s ready it’s now.

Based on what head coach Tom Coughlin has said about Barden, it’s apparent that the Giants feel it’s time to see if he is indeed the impact player they believe he can be.

“It’s time, it was time last year. The guy is going to make a mark in the league. He’s smart. He’s been around long enough. He’s been in the heat of it. You know, he’s made plays. He just needs to make them more consistently. That’s all I hope. (That) this is his time.”

It’s the size of Barden that caught my attention when the Giants started talking him up after taking him in the third round of the 2009 draft. He’s 6-foot-6 and was so impressive in his first training camp, it brought back reminders of how successful quarterback Eli Manning was throwing red zone passes to Plaxico Burress.

Injuries and a deep depth chart at the wide receiver position has slowed down Barden’s development. However with Manningham’s departure, there is a prime spot up for grabs. If Barden can stay healthy and produce, he’ll fit nicely in the passing game with Nicks and Victor Cruz for Manning.

Barden is entering the final year of his contract. The Giants went out and drafted receiver Rueben Randle and re-signed Domenik Hixon. If that’s not enough for motivation to get it done, I don’t know what else would work. Nothing is going to be just handed to him, he’ll have to earn it.

Tyree’s charities of choice for this event were Children of the City and The Legacy Center. The event took place at 300 Bowling Alley at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. All proceeds from the event and silent auctions went to both of the charities in equal fashion.

Feb 3, 2008; Glendale, AZ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) celebrates with wide receiver David Tyree (85) after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

David Tyree made sure to bring along many of his former teammates who bowled and mingled with fans throughout the night. The guest list included such names as: Tiki Barber, Jake Ballard, Kevin Boothe, Chris Canty, Victor Cruz, Shaun O’Hara, Jason Pierre-Paul, Steve Weatherford, Antrel Rolle, Ramses Barden, Justin Tuck and of course Eli Manning. 

Though there was limited media access, Cat Fiorentino and I were able to squeeze in and get some quotes from Antrell Rolle, Eli Manning, and an exclusive interview with Victor Cruz. Of course, the topic of choice was the contract reconstruction of Osi Umenyiora and what he means to the team.

Eli Manning was nothing short of ecstatic that Osi was back. With Osi, JPP, Tuck, and Canty on the D-line, the offense will be sure to have the ball a lot more due to turnovers. Antrel Rolle  also took some time out from bowling to let us know his thoughts on Osi. He said, Osi is like a “brother to me” and that “business can get sticky.”  He also said Osi was “smiling like a kid in a candy shop” and he still thinks the Giants can improve even though the Osi situation is finally cleared up.

The media was asked to leave after an hour due to the event being private and for the fans (rightfully so), but before we left, we were able to catch up with Victor Cruz. Cruz offered his sentiments on the Osi situation saying he was obviously happy to have him back and he thinks the defensive line is one of the best in the league. When asked who he thought could be the next “Victor Cruz”, Cruz did not hesitate to say Rueben Randle. He also mentioned Ramses Barden and Jerrel Jernigan. Before he left, Cruz let us know that he has no plans to ditch the Salsa celebration anytime soon and he hopes to continue his celebration multiple times this upcoming season.

*Stay tuned for Cat’s interview news and notes from both Cruz and Rolle later in the week, with pictures!*

For more news, updates, and analysis…. Follow me on Twitter! (@ERobertsNY):

http://twitter.com/erobertsny 

Feb 26, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies running back David Wilson does running drills during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

A true evaluation of a draft class takes three or four seasons, but I think the Giants may have themselves a very good group of ballplayers. I’m not sure I want to go as far as saying this group will rival the class of 2007, but I think this draft may be a very, very good one. Let’s talk about why….

Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Giant fans react to the pick of David Wilson during the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/The Star-Ledger via US PRESSWIRE

After all the mock drafts and all the speculation the picks have all been made. So how did Big Blue do? With the departures of Brandon Jacobs, Mario Manningham, Aaron Ross, Dave Tollefson and with Ballard and Beckum not being able to start the season due to injury there were holes that needed to be filled. Due to successes Reese has had in recent drafts he has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to selecting players.

Overall I would rate the Giants draft as a B. They were able to fill the holes they had with players that have very good potential. David Wilson and Rueban Randle were very solid picks with huge upsides. Jayron Hosley is an extremely athletic corner that can make up for his lack of size with raw ability. Adrien Robinson is a big fast TE that will help the running game, although he tends to take plays off. Brandon Moseley OT has a huge upside, he is a physical player with a lot of experience. Since he played in the spread offense there may be a learning curve. The last two picks of OT Matt McCants and DT Markus Kuhn were very good picks for the late rounds. Both have all the tools to play at this level, but need some time to excel and hone there playing skills and have the ability to become the diamonds in the rough all teams look for in 6th and 7th rounds. There should be some nice surprises when all is said and done.

Randle has been getting better and better throughout his career at LSU. As a freshman he played sparingly and caught 11 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Randle made 33 receptions for 544 yards and three scores as a sophomore. Despite being part of a run-heavy offense in 2011, Randle hauled in 53 passes for 917 yards and eight touchdowns. He helped lead the Tigers to an undefeated regular season and the SEC Championship, but they were blanked by Alabama in the BCS National Championship.