Fresh from the high of Super Bowl XLVI, I began to think about the 2012 season and got worried. The Giants had immediate needs to address (TE, CB, WR, OL, P) and, by some accounts, they were going to be $1.5 million below the salary cap. Plenty of work to do and no money to get it done. The only phrase that offered any glimmer of hope was, “In Reese We Trust.” And he may have done some of his finest off-season work this year.
He restructured contracts. (Manning, Baas, Diehl). He resigned key veterans (Thomas, Weatherford, DeOssie, Hixon, Carr). He allowed other veterans to walk whose salaries exceeded game value. (Manningham, Jacobs). He released players on the downside of their careers. (McKenzie, Grant). And he made a few brilliant low-risk, high-reward free agent signings. (Bennett, Rivers).
The next off season task is the NFL draft on Thursday. How will Reese handle the draft? If history is any indicator, he’ll find a way to capture a little magic and the fan base will question his sanity.
In 2010, Reese selected Jason Pierre-Paul with the 15th overall pick. “What in the world is Reese thinking? You don’t select a project in the 1st round!”
Be thankful Jerry Reese runs the NY Giants and I don’t. I probably would’ve fired Coughlin after the 2006 and 2010 seasons as well.
But let’s move forward to the 2012 draft. You’ve all probably seen a number of mock drafts. I’ve seen predictions saying the Giants will select a TE, CB, LB, DT, OT, C, RB, WR or even a QB in the first round. Allow me to offer one more, equally useless train of thought.