Apparently, all it took was a secret coin flip, devoid of representatives from the Giants and Jets, to determine what we thought would be the appropriate conclusion to the “who gets to open up the new Meadowlands stadium?” Sounds a little more than absurd to think this is how Roger Goodell and the league chose to resolve this issue, but nothing is surprising any more (after all, Jake Delhomme, after amassing a solid 59% passer rating to go with 9 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in 2009, received $7 million guaranteed from the Cleveland Browns; it must be really terrible to be a Browns fan by the way).
The new look Giants (new look as we are anticipating several new starters on the defensive side of the ball and possibly on the offensive line as well) will open the new Meadowlands stadium on Sunday afternoon, September 12, 2010 (incidentally, my wife and I will be welcoming our first child, a baby boy, somewhere around September 14, 2010, so it will be a very active few weeks indoctrinating my little bambino into Giants lore).
Back to football, the mock drafts are heating up and there are several people “in the know” (though to be fair, I don’t think they know any more than you or I do) who are predicting Sam Bradford at the top to the Rams and Clausen not getting past either Washington or Cleveland in the top 10 picks. What does this mean to the G-men? Simple, guys are going to drop, and with the Dolphins adding inside linebacker Karlos Dansby via a haul of cash, another possible landing spot for Rolando McClain closes up. I still tend to think McClain will be gone by the 15th pick in the draft (Denver/Buffalo are possibilities and I don’t think we can rule out the 49ers either, who also run the 3-4 defense), but it is possible that Giants fans get their wish and McClain falls into their lap.
My question: Does McClain really fit as a true 4-3 middle linebacker? McClain is instinctive and a leader, but there are questions about his speed. Still, follow me for a moment here, figure the Giants grab McClain at 15 and then add a guy like Sean Lee in the 3rd or 4th round (the good is that either guy might be the middle linebacker of the future and McClain could star on the strongside and compete with Sintim; Lee could shine at WLB and push Michael Boley, yes, the magic word “competition” again returns; the bad is the Giants still need help at defensive tackle and the offensive line and have used two picks on linebackers), just a little food for thought.
If the Giants are comfortable with McClain’s transition to the 4-3, he has to be the pick at 15 assuming he is on the board. Think Jerry Reese will give any hints? I don’t, but stay blue!