Your New York Sports Blog

According to the Star-Ledger right guard Chris Snee has agreed to a 6-year contract extension to keep him around until the '14 season. According to the them Snee will be among the top five highest paid players at his position, something Snee rightfully deserves as he has been nothing short of great since his first season in 2004.

Snee is not the only one to sign as the Giants also signed three late round draft picks. The picks who signed were 4th round pick linebacker Bryan Kehl, 5th round pick linebacker Jonathan Goff, and 6th round pick quarterback Andre' Woodson who was just an absolute steal so late in the draft.

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• It has been reported that rookie WR Mario Manningham's performance during last week's mini camp was disappointing. Apparently he had a tough time tracking down deep passes and ran a few incorrect routes. I've read specifically from Mike Garafolo's report that Manningham had dropped a pass in the end zone in which he had to jump to go get. Other than that I haven't read any specific troubles he has had besides mixing up some routes. I think the media is overplaying this situation because 1. He is a rookie learning a new playbook at the WR position which is said to be one of the hardest to learn as a first year player and 2. He only scored a 6 on the wonderlic test, he obviously isn't Albert Einstein, let's give the guy a break.
• Plaxico Burress released a statement yesterday saying he expects his contract dispute to be resolved before training camp in July and that he would like to play another five or six years and retire as a Giant. His ankle must be feeling a lot better if he plans on playing another five or six seasons.
  
• Ahmad Bradshaw behind bars?! Thats right, according to Skip Wood of USA today, the Giants second year running back has been incarcerated since June 15th for violating terms of his probation. No word yet on what he did to violate probation but he is only on probation in the first place for stealing a students video game from the Dorms back at Marshall. What a joke.

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Mini camp has not been all smiles for the Giants. First we had Plaxico Burress stating that he may hold out because he wants a contract extension and more money added onto his contract and now we have Jeremy Shockey in a fight with the front office.

At mini camp last week Jeremy Shockey and Jerry Reese got into a shouting match. No one knows what was exactly said, but we do know what Jeremy Shockey's agent Drew Rosenhaus had to say on whether or not Jeremy Shockey wanted to remain a Giant.

“I don’t specifically have a way to address that at this time because Jeremy’s been very adamant about avoiding any public discussion about a situation. The best thing I can say about Jeremy’s situation is that we are talking to the team about some of the issues that exist and we hope to get that resolved.”

...Speculation says that Shockey was upset that the team would not allow him on the sidelines during the Super Bowl and that they were spreading rumors that he was upset with the organization and that he wanted to be traded from the team that drafted him.

It's hard to take a side because if they did indeed spread rumors you could see why Shockey was pissed. Not only were they trying to get rid of him, but they turned the fans on him and made them feel that a rookie tight end would help this team more than one of the best and most talented tight ends in the league.

If a trade wasn't going to happen one may now, but we will see how things play out.

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The last memory we have of Plaxico Burress is a good one and that is of course the game winning Super Bowl catch against the Patriots. That catch capped of the perfect season and a great season for Plaxico himself. Each and every week he skipped practice and each and every week he came out and performed with a final season of 70 receptions, 1,000+ yards, and 12 TD catches with almost 15 yards per catch.

With the accumulation of his great season and spikes in prices for receivers Plax is not satisfied with his current contract status. At today's mandatory mini camp everyone showed up including Jeremy Shockey who was rumored to be skipping out and so did Plax, but he did not participate in any drills.

According to Plaxico he is not happy with his contract at all and demands he gets more money and more years added onto his contract.

This is a very similar case to the one the Jets had with Coles. He is not being a prick about the way he is going about it and ESPN has some stats to back up Plaxico's case.

By current standards, Burress is being underpaid. Terrell Owens of Dallas and Randy Moss of New England recently signed three-year contracts for $27 million, while Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals got a four-year, $40 million contract with a $30 million guarantee.
Burress and Eli Manning have combined for 29 touchdown catches since 2005, the most by a receiver-quarterback tandem in the league during that time.

If you are the Giants you are eventually going to have to give in. He is on of the top wide receivers in the league, still performing at a high level, and can lead for example to newly drafted Mario Manningham. Plus if you take Plax at of the loop what do you have? Toomer, Tyree, and Smith? It is plausible, but it will not get you to the Super Bowl any time soon.

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According to reports the New York Giants have signed the 6'3, 296 lbs. veteran defensive end Renaldo Wynn. Wynn is another player the Giants acquired this off-season who were drafted by Tom Coughlin back when he was coaching the Jaguars.

Last season Wynn had 3.5 sacks in 12 games with the New Orleans Saints and will now serve as back up in case Michael Strahan decides he wants to retire.

In order to make room on the roster the Giants had to place outside linebacker Keith O'Neil on the reserve/retirement list.

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Michael Strahan doesn't appear to be close to announcing his future plans, but there is something the Giants could do to push things along. They could give him $8 million.That's the amount Strahan hopes to get from the Giants for what would likely be his final season with the team - and possibly in the NFL - if he decides to return to play in 2008, according to two sources familiar with his situation.

...The Giant's front office said that they would take care of Strahan financially so if money is the only issue with him coming back expect him to.

The amount of money is due to Jason Taylor's contract, but Taylor is younger and more productive than Strahan, however, if you have the chance to bring Strahan back you have to do it.

The article also says that the Giants are interviewing defensive end Renaldo Wynn who was drafted by Tom Coughlin back in 1997, which may tell us that they have plans to move on without Strahan and go with Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora full time.

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Butler, 25, had received the “second-round tender” offer, meaning that any team that wanted to sign him as a free agent would’ve had to give the Giants a second-round pick as compensation. Not surprisingly Butler received no offers on the open market.

Instead, he re-signed with the team that originally signed him as an undrafted free agent back in 2005. He’ll earn a salary of $1.47 million this season. Had the Giants offered him the “low tender” amount, he would’ve only received $927,000. But the risk then would’ve been that the Giants wouldn’t have gotten any compensation if Butler signed someplace else.

Michael Strahan said that he had pretty much made up his mind on whether or not he wants to return next season, but has decided to not make it known because he may still change his mind. On pure speculation it appears that Strahan will retire based on his recent comments. It would suck if he does, but has been a great player and whatever decision he makes will be respected.

The Giants will receive their Super Bowl rings on May 29th. Over 200 rings will be given out.

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Tom Rock of T-Rock's Take: Inside the Giants has put up bios of the undrafted free agents the Giants have signed. The people include:

DT Brian Soi
DT Nate Robinson
DE Alex Morrow
CB Miguel Scott
S Terrance Stringer
LS Nick Leeson
OT Jacob Hobbs

Cuts include: LB Rory Johnson and DT Joshua Muse.

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Jets signed:
RB - Jehuu Caulcrick
RB - Danny Woodhead
DE - Bryan Mattison

Giants signed:
WR- D.J. Hall
S - Nehemiah Warrick
DE - Antonio Reynolds
OT - Dylan Thiry
OT - Carnell Stewart
OG - Andrew Bain
OT - Glenn Bujnoch
DE - Wallace Gilberry

... The couple that stand out to be are D.J. Hall, Nehemiah Warrick, Wallace Gilberry, Danny Woodhead, and Jehuu Caulcrick. Gilberry could have gone in the 6th/7th round, Woodhead is FAST, strong, and seems to want to prove people wrong for being put down for his height (5'7) , Warrick is a big safety who was pretty highly thought of and actually has a chance to do something.

Tomorrow I will be doing a Giants draft review.

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NY Times:

"Now, for the first time, the selling of personal seat licenses is a real possibility in the New York area. Jets and Giants executives are considering using them at the $1.6 billion stadium they are building in New Jersey, which is scheduled to open in 2010. Although any decisions are months away and team officials are reluctant to discuss details publicly, sports business analysts and others around the N.F.L. said they expected to see the teams sell licenses.
Personal seat licenses are like taxi medallions or a seat on a financial exchange. Buying one entitles the fan to have first call on the purchase of a season ticket. Fans can re-sell and buy licenses among themselves or online, with the value pegged to the local market and win-loss dynamics."

Any way you think of it you were probably going to have to pay that money anyway. Even if they idea of seat licenses sounds funny or strange it is either the license or extra money on the ticket. So either way you were going to pay the money.

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Here is what Ernie Palladino had to say when talking about the Giants adding depth to the safety position:

"Another theory offered is moving wide receiver and Super Bowl hero David Tyree to safety, which would be a totally new position for him. I’m not saying he wouldn’t try it—Tyree’s a team guy. And he certainly has the time on his hands to do it since, as a fourth receiver, he caught only about four passes the whole season. But he would, in effect, be a rookie back there. Corey Webster’s name has also been thrown around for safety depth. And, of course, there’s always R.W. McQuarters, a guy who can play all over the place."

Now I am very against moving Tyree to the safety position. Just because he has passed as a serviceable tackler on special teams does not mean he will make a smooth transition to the safety position. I would be much more comfortable with Michael Johnson or a drafted safety than Tyree.

This would also be adding depth to the safety position, but taking away depth from the wide receiver. Tyree is the 4th receiver only behind Burress, Toomer, and Smith. I personally do not feel comfortable with Sinorice Moss as my 4th wide receiver. It would be much better to use Johnson or draft another safety than converting Tyree.

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Over at True Blue they talk about why the Giants did not get DeAngelo Hall. Here is the article:

"In fact the Giants did offer their first-round pick (No. 31) for Hall, but according to sources backed off when the Falcons wanted RB Danny Ware as well. Atlanta came back with a request for the No. 1 and Grey Ruegamer, but by that time the reality had set in with the Giants. Hall would be a menace to their cap, a potential problem in their docile locker room and a headache for the coaches."

Part of that makes sense to me part of it does not. Clearly the amount of money would be a problem down the road, but I would think that money would be well spent on someone of Hall's caliber. He is much more talented than Samuel, so it would make sense for him to get that much. It also makes sense they are worried about his attitude, although that is not something I would lose sleep over.

The part that I don't understand is why they would not give up Danny Ware. The Giants are probably the deepest team in the league at running back and already have a big, physical runner in Brandon Jacobs. Even if he is talented he is not needed as much as DeAngelo Hall. Also Grey Ruegamer could have easily been replaced in this draft. The Giants should have pulled the trigger because anyone they take at #31 will not produce like Hall unless someone drops like Brady Quinn.

Here is Rotoworld on Danny Ware:
"It appears the Giants will keep him on the roster as a fourth-stringer. That would spell the end for Reuben Droughns."

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ESPN:

"The New York Giants, who won the Super Bowl with one of the deepest backfields in football, retained one of their key backups Frday, reaching an agreement with halfback Derrick Ward.

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Rotoworld:

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ESPN:

"Veteran quarterback David Carr agreed to a deal with the New York Giants on Wednesday.

A source said that that the contract is for one year and $1 million with incentives that could increase the overall value of the deal.

The presense of Giants assistant coach Chris Palmer, who worked with Carr in Houston, was a major reason the quarterback chose New York."

Like I said when this deal was first being reported I really like it. Carr will be a great back up on the best team he has ever played for. I am just hoping he doesn't play too much because if he is that means it is not good for the Gmen.

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Star Ledger:
"Just learned that the first player selected in the 2002 NFL Draft is visiting the Giants tomorrow night and Wednesday. The former Houston Texan was recently released by the Carolina Panthers after one season.

The Giants are shopping for a veteran backup for Eli Manning. Giants QB coach Chris Palmer used to tutor Carr in Houston, so there's one connection. Stay tuned."

What could go wrong with this? Nothing really. It is a low risk, high reward move. The odds are there won't be any risk or reward because he is just going to be a back up, but if Eli got injured (or cursed!) You have someone to fill in that could possibly do a decent job. I believe this would be the best team he has played on so far so maybe things would change if he had to start. Most of us are just hoping that if we do see him it's only in pre-season.

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At various places I have polled people on who they feel the Giants should draft with their 1st round pick (Keith Rivers, Dan Connor, Kenny Phillips) should they be available. The 1st poll was on March 1st and the 2nd on March 7th. The people's answers changes a lot between the 2 dates.

March 1st:
Keith Rivers, OLB, USC - 11 votes 24%
Dan Connor, ILB, Penn - 24 votes 52%
Kenny Phillips, S, Miami - 11 votes 24%
46 votes

March 6th:
Keith Rivers, OLB, USC - 12 votes 24%
Dan Connor, ILB, Penn - 19 votes 39%
Kenny Phillips, S, Miami - 18 votes 38%
49 votes

Combine Totals:
Keith Rivers, OLB, USC - 23 votes 24%
Dan Connor, ILB, Penn - 43 votes 45%
Kenny Phillips ,S, Miami - 29 votes 31%
95 votes

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The people have clearly spoken. They think the Giants should draft Dan Connor out of Penn State. I was a little confused by this because although I like Connor and think he would suite the Giants well he is not even the best linebacker in the pole. Scouts Inc. rating has USC's Keith Rivers at a 94, while Connor comes in at 92. Rivers is just a complete beast coming in at 6'10 236 lbs. and has good athleticism. The one who I feel they should draft and who had the greatest improvement after the departure of Gibril Wilson is safety Kenny Phillips of Miami(FL). Phillips moved from tied for last to 1 vote behind Dan Connor. This is an extremely weak safety class was Phillips being the best, but hurt is value with a poor combine. With this being a very strong linebacking class you can take your safety round one and still get a very good linebacker in the 2nd round. By doing so you increase the value of your picks and fill your 2 biggest needs with good players.

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Well that is the image we thought we would be seeing at the beginning of the year (Tom Coughlin looking for a new job), but after images like this: ---------> there was no doubt Tom would be back. It had been mentioned earlier, but now official Super coach Tom Coughlin has signed a 4 year $21 million dollar contract.

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ESPN:
Three days after losing Gibril Wilson to the Oakland Raiders, the Giants found a veteran replacement at safety in Sammy Knight.

Knight is becoming the on-call replacement when a team needs a safety. He's with his fourth team in five years, but the big thing about his Giants deal is that he gets some long-term security. The 32-year-old safety agreed to a three-year, $5.15 million contract that includes $1.25 million to sign.

This is a great signing for the Gmen. Knight was just as effective as Wilson last year with virtually the same stats in every category. He may be aging, but at that price tag for 3 years who can complain. Wilson is getting paid $4 million more per year just to put into perspective how good of a signing this was. Same stats and save $4 mill who can complain? Keep up the good work Reese.

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New York Daily News:
"S Sammy Knight, an 11-year veteran of four teams (Saints, Dolphins, Chiefs, Jaguars), appears to be the Giants’ primary target in their search to replace the departed Gibril Wilson, and it’s possible he could sign (somewhere) in the next few days.

According to an NFL source, Knight began making free agent visits today. I’m positive the Giants are on his itinerary, but I don’t know when he’s scheduled to come in. I’ll keep you posted."

here is ESPN's take on Knight:

"Knight had another productive year and had 93 tackles in 2007. He is one of the quarterbacks in the secondary and knows how to get his teammates lined up and in the right position. He is a good leader and valuable in the locker room. He excels at playing in the box against the run, which is his primary role. Knight is still a solid tackler in space and he uses his experience by minimizing the angles his opponents can take on the ground. Knight is also a decent coverage player, but he doesnt close on the ball like he once used to. He does have a good feel for where the ball is going. He isnt able to cover the elite TEs like he once could, but if he can reroute his opponent early, he has a chance. Knight is a veteran who can still help a young team looking for guidance in the secondary."

I really wouldn't mind signing Knight. He is a solid safety and could be a good stop gap until the Giants can find a long term option. If they draft someone like Kenny Phillips, Knight can be good in the development of him, while still being productive. Knight did have 1 more tackle than Wilson, the same amount of interceptions, and one more forced fumble. The Giants are also interested in former Bronco's receiver Javon Walker, but so is 1/3rd of the league and he won't make his decision anytime soon so I'll keep you informed on him.

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