SB Nation - Danny Clark

New York Giants Notebook: 12.17.09

Jim Schmiedeberg — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:29:56 -0000

Good Morning Giants fans, here are some of the stories making the rounds in the world of the indefensible (or is it un-defensible?) New York Giants:

The Giants are hanging their hats on one thing right now: No matter how bad things seem, it's worse for the Cowboys. I would not be so fast to agree, not until the Giants defense stops someone, anyone.
Shaun O'Hara and Trent Cole were both fined $15K for their fight in Sunday night's game.
The Redskins say they are worried about themselves, not playing spoiler for the Giants. If you believe this, then I would like to advocate C.C. Brown for starting safety in the Pro Bowl. I'm sure the Redskins would just love to help the Giants screw up their season.
Sort of Giants-related, Matt Simms, son of Phil, has signed a letter of intent to play at Tennessee.
Former Giant TE Howard Cross was voted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Nice to see Howard getting recognized, he is one of the most underrated players to ever put on a Giants uniform.

In a conference call with the Washington media yesterday, Justin Tuck was asked if this is a must-win for the Giants: (click link for full transcript)

I think so. You never want to put that pressure on yourself especially when they say we can still make the playoffs even if we don't win all three of these. For me personally, I think that we are because of the fact that we haven't played great ball. Even if we do make the playoffs, you don't want to go into the playoffs limping. You want to go in with the confidence, knowing that you kind of righted the ship and are playing your best ball at that point in time. I think for us it's important to win these next three.

Tom Coughlin talked about his team's emotional state: (click link for full transcript)

Well, we have been excited about playing our divisional games. It has been one game after another. We had a nice win against Dallas. We came up short the other night in a high-scoring affair. I think our guys will be right back on the mark. You come together on Monday and it is a sad day. Everybody is disappointed. Everybody wants to win. Everybody does everything they think they can. It doesn't mean that you always play as well as you are capable of playing. We try to get their dabbers back up and get them refocused and knowing full well that the season gets shorter and shorter and more meaningful and more meaningful. I think our leadership will be strong. I think our guys will come back and we will have a nice week of practice. We will be excited to go down to Washington.

What do the Giants do now? Ideas for salvaging the season

Ed Valentine — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:00:19 -0000

OK, gang. We have spent the past few days commiserating about the problems our 6-5 New York Giants are having. The hated Dallas Cowboys come to East Rutherford this week, so it is time to turn the page and look forward.

The Giants MUST (is there anything bigger than capital letters for emphasis?) win this game if they hope to salvage the season. So, the question is, what -- if anything -- can be done over the next five games to get this team going again?

First and foremost, say your prayers for Eli's foot. If he goes down to a stress fracture, find something else to do with your Sunday afternoons. I doubt the Giants will be watchable.

Anyway, here are my thoughts on what the Giants can do in an effort to salvage the season.

Run Brandon, run! -- As we discussed Sunday, this is an obvious one. He probably isn't running as well as he did the past couple of years. And we know the line isn't blocking as well. But, the Giants have to have balance. And they have to let Jacobs try to wear defenses down. He is the guy opposing defensive players fear, and when the Giants don't make full use of him they do the defense a favor.
Turn the kids loose, Tom -- Rookies make mistakes, and coaches of contending teams don't like to play them if they have a choice. Giants coach Tom Coughlin is hardly alone there. But the season has reached a point where it has become pretty obvious that the Giants aren't really contenders. And that there are certain veterans whose warranty has expired. So, let the kids play.

-- Activate Ramses Barden -- Sure, wide receiver isn't really an issue. But, the Green Zone still is. And, yes, that probably means de-activating Derek Hagan, an idea which I hate. But, you know what? The coverage teams stink with Hagan, who might be the team's best cover guy. For now, they can stink without him. It's time to start finding out about Barden.

-- Same for Travis Beckum -- Every snap that Darcy Johnson is on the field is really a wasted play as far as the future of the Giants. He really is not a good blocker, so if it's a blocking situation use an extra offensive lineman. If it's a passing situation, get Beckum on the field. He will never turn into a weapon standing on the sidelines, and you know by now that Johnson is pretty much just taking up roster space.

-- Start William Beatty at right tackle. Maybe he is the future left tackle, we don't know that yet. But, continuing to play Kareem McKenzie at right tackle is going to get Eli Manning killed, Or David Carr, if Eli's 'stress reaction' turns into a fracture. It's pretty obvious that McKenzie is a pass-blocking liability, so get Beatty on the field full-time and let him begin to learn. At least you know that if he gets beat he will learn and get better.

-- More Clint Sintim. I have to qualify this one. I know that the Giants started getting Sintim more action several weeks ago. I also know that Antonio Pierce's injury has made playing Sintim difficult. Sintim admitted recently that he was relying on AP to get him lined up and to make sure he understood what his responsibilities were, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me that Sintim still needed help figuring out how to line up. But, it's really obvious that Danny Clark won't be a Giant next year, and that Clark's lack of athleticism hurts this defense. Let Sintiim make his mistakes now, in a season thatr appears to be quickly going down the drain, so that he can become the play maker we all want in 2010.

-- Give Jonathan Goff a chance -- We have seen one good game and one bad one from Chase Blackburn filling in at middle linebacker for Antonio Pierce. Blackburn is smart, and I love the guy. I'm not sure he is athletic enough, or physical enough, to be the long-term answer in the middle, though. We know Pierce needs to be replaced, quite possibly next season. Get Goff on the field enough to find out if the kid can play.
More Kiwi, less Osi. A lot less Osi -- If any Giants fan out there still thinks Osi Umenyiora is a great defensive end, all I can say is this. You are thinking with your heart, not your eyes or your brain. Osi is an atrocious run defender, and at this point in his career only a so-so pass rusher. He makes one great play every couple of games, that's about it. Mathias Kiwanuka played right defensive end all of 2008, and did a better job than Osi is doing this season. Especially against the run. Every offensive coordinator in the league knows at this point that if you need a couple of yards against the Giants, running right at Osi is the way to get it.

One more thing. How about no more Chris Canty at defensive end? The Giants are paying him $42 million to clog the middle, which he can't do playing right defensive end when Osi isn't there. What the heck is he doing out there? Get him in the middle where he is supposed to be, and let Kiwanuka play defensive end.
Boot Bill Sheridan upstairs. I know many of you would have been happy if I stopped at 'Boot Bill Sheridan.' That is not going to happen during the season, though, so I'm not even going to go there. Sheridan, though, obviously is not effective from the sideline. He is undoubtedly not a motivator. And, he can't seem to get a feel for calling the game, since so many of his calls seem to wind up leaving the Giants vulnerable. So, kick him upstairs where we know he originally wanted to be and see if he can do a better job from up there. If that doesn't work, well, then I think we know what needs to be done.

That's about all I have for now. I am curious to hear your ideas for the rest of the season. And, please, keep it to how to salvage the next five games. We have months to discuss the draft and what to do next season. It's not time to tackle that yet.

Catching Up With The Recent Non-Draft Picks of the Oakland Raiders: 2009 First Two Rounds

saint — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:09:08 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (12) allows another big catch to slip through his fingers.(AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Browse more photos »

It is no secret that my favorite time of the year, for the past four seasons has been the build-up to the draft. It is also no secret that I lost my mind last season when the Raiders took Darius Heyward-Bey and Mike Mitchell in the first two rounds and passed on many talented players in doing so.

So, this morning I took a look through some of the old threads where we discussed names that the Raiders should take to fill their various holes and here is what I found.

I wanted Crabtree in the first, if he was available, and his health report checked out. If not, then I wanted to wait to the second round to grab a receiver and my mind was set on Ohio State's Brian Robiskie.

Raider K agreed and thought that we should grab Raji in the first and Robiskie in the second.

I say go D-Line. Not O-line, D-Line. Get big frame,powerful, upcoming B.J. Raji. One of the top players in the draft and would fill a huge need.

To which I replied:

In a perfect World we’d draft a run stuffing DL in the first, Robiskie in the 2nd, Luigs or Wood in the 3rd, Safety in the 4th, Brinkley in the 6th and the BPA in the 7th.

And, of course, LiveAdam through in his two cents:

The real question is, if both Mack/Unger/Wood and Robiskie are available to the Raiders with their 2nd round pick, who do they chose?

Other names that were thrown around include Jeremy Maclin, Connor Barwin, Clinton Sintim, Rey Maualuga, Eugene Monroe, Michael Oher, Clay Mathews Jr. and Brian Cushing.

Well, Raider Nation, here is a look at what "Could Have Been".

Obviously the Raiders had issues with Crabtree, so they passed on him. The board consensus would have been to select B.J. Raji or Eugene Monroe with that pick.

I am curious how the options that we did have are performing:

First Round Options:

B.J .Raji, NT, Green Bay Packers - B.J. has 12 tackles in 7 games, so far, and is working his way into the Defensive Line Rotation in Green Bay. Local fans will get a good look at him this weekend as his team tangles with the 49ers.

With the revolving door at the NT position, Joseph, Seymour, Warren...I am thinking that Raji would have been a good fit here, or at least a better fit than Heyward-Bey.

Eugene Monroe, LT, Jacksonville - The jags were drooling over Monroe and they got their man after the Raiders passed on him. He has had his ups and downs, but, has now become a very good LT for the Jags.

Without a doubt, he would have helped this team out in spades. He would have started as a RT and could move anywhere on the line with all of the injuries that we've sustained.

Jeremy Maclin, Wide Receiver, Philly - There were some around here that wanted him over Crabtree, and he was available, so, let's take a look at how he is doing this season.

In 9 games, he has 31 catches for 413 yards and 4 TDs. This is all as a second choice behind DeSean Jackson, another player that we missed when we traded our 2008 second rounder for De'Angelo Hall.

Whoever said that they wanted Maclin, "This Bud's For You"!!!

2nd Round Options:

With names like Connor Barwin, Ron Brace, Phil Loadholt, Max Unger, and Clint Sintim on the board, the Raiders their pick to the Pats, moved down and selected Mike "Tuck Your Shirt In" Mitchell.

Here is how those players are doing:

Connor Barwin, LB, Texans - Connor is having a difficult time breaking into the Linebacking Corps ins Houston, then again, so would almost anyone. He has 9 tackles and one sack in 9 games.

Ron Brace, DT, New England - Brace has not played in 5 weeks and is burried in New England. He really isn't a great fit for the 3-4 and this pick did surprise me.

Phil Loadholt, OL, Minnesota - Right Tackle ANYONE? Loadholt has been as solid as any NFL rookie, starting every game, and is only getting better. I wish he would have ended up in Oakland!!! Then again, I would have chosen the next guy, Max Unger from my draft chart.

Max Unger, C, Seattle - He has been a dominant RG, who was a dominant Center in College. He would have been a NO-Brainer to make our O-Line better.

Clint Sintim, LB, NYG - Sintim is splitting time with former raider Danny Clark, but is beginning to see more reps and may start for the first time this week.

So far, the Raider have gotten NOTHING from their first two picks, in fact you could make a case that the first rounder has cost us a couple of games!!! So, what do you think Raider Nation?

New York Giants News & Notes: Pierce Contract Situation & More

cjmulrain — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:04:22 -0000

Ed posted about Antonio Pierce's injury last night, and it's definitely not good news. Mike Garafalo reports a little more about Pierce's contract situation and that of replacement Chase Blackburn. Also from MG comes a preview of the game against the Falcons.

Speaking of Giants' linebackers, Giants' rookie Clint Sintim is leaning on "one cool dude," aka Danny Clark. Whether that's a good thing or not I'll leave up to you.
Giants legend (and my all-time favorite player) Michael Strahan was brought into practice yesterday to give the Giants a surprise pep talk. According to Strahan:

"They're as talented as any team in the league," he said. "It's just a matter of believing in their talent and the talent of the guy next to them. If they do that, they'll be just fine."

The general theme out there seems to be that the next seven days will define the Giants season. It's certainly hard to say that's wrong right now.
The Giants are going to be looking for "big play opportunities" against the Falcons. That's quite alright with me.
Hakeem Nicks has made a list of impact rookie wide receivers. I was a little skeptical of the Nicks pick back in April, but I have been pleasantly surprised so far - next to Steve Smith he's been my favorite player to watch so far this year, and the two of them have a bright future for the Giants.

For the New York Giants, time is now for some changes

Ed Valentine — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Hopefully we will see a lot more of linebacker Clint Sintim (97) for the remainder of the season.

Browse more photos »

The bye week is over. The New York Giants have had time now to look in the mirror and assess what has gone wrong during their current unexpected four-game slide into mediocrity.

The question now is simple. What can they do to turn things around over the next seven games? Can they get back to being the team we all thought they were going to be, and that they were through a 5-0 start?

Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan was asked last week about using the bye week to make changes in areas where his defense has been struggling. His answer, I thought, was instructive not just for the defense but for the Giants as a whole. I am taking a little editorial license with Sheridan's remarks, removing the parts where he specifically discussed red zone defense.

"You can sit back and look at a nine game self-scout and kind of take a picture of what you are doing ... How you are playing defense and what kind of calls you are or are not making. It gives you a chance, about a couple of days to do that, to maybe rethink some thoughts defensively about what you can do maybe a little differently," Sheridan said. "You can’t make dramatic changes but you definitely can modify it ... I think you can step back and take a look at what you are doing and maybe consider some other types of things."

Like I said, I think Sheridan's words apply to the entire team. Tom Coughlin, Kevin Gilbride, the players -- everyone. Now that they have had time to think about what has gone wrong, can they make some changes to get this ship sailing back in the right direction?

Here are my suggestions for things I would like to see the Giants do differently during the remaining seven games.

A lot more Brandon Jacobs. Is he running well? Isn't he running well? I'm tired of talking about it. Fact is, during the four-game skid he simply hasn't been running enough. In four losses Jacobs had 7, 13, 20 and 11 carries, 12.75 per game. In the five previous wins, Jacobs had more than 20 carries three times and no less than 16 in any game. He averaged 20 carries in those five victories. When the Giants are playing football their way, dominating teams physically and controlling the clock, Jacobs is punishing defenses 17-25 times per game. It's time to stop protecting the 6-foot-4, 270-pound Jacobs and start using him. As Yogi Berra would say "it's getting late early around here."

Stick with the short passing game. The Giants offense got back to the short, ball-control type passes against San Diego, and it's a trend I would like to see continue. There is a time and place for the long ball, and it is awesome when it works, but let's be honest. After beating up on JV teams the early part of the season Gilbride and Eli Manning fell in love with it. The Giants best receiver, Steve Smith, is a machine on short-to-intermediate routes. Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks are showing the ability to turn short throws into huge plays. Kevin Boss is a quality tight end. You don't have to throw the ball 40 or 50 yards downfield to make teams pay for stuffing the box or blitzing the house. Short, quick completions they can't cover -- and ones that occasionally turn into huge gains -- will do the trick. Besides, we are heading into that time of year in the Meadowlands where we know throwing the ball down the field will become more and more dicey. So, stick with what you do best, and what has the best chance to succeed.

Give me some Ramses Barden. Please. I know the third-round pick from Cal-Poly is a work in progress. And I know he has to contribute on special teams to be active on Sunday. But the guy is a 6-foot-6 physical freak, and he needs to be given an opportunity to get on the field and make a couple of plays. Even if Barden doesn't run perfect routes, I saw over and over during training camp that he can use his size and strength to make plays in traffic even when he seems covered. C'mon, now! Is Sinorice Moss really helping the special teams enough to keep Barden inactive every Sunday? I don't think so.

Unleash Danny Ware. We all love Ahmad Bradshaw, but it is plain to see that AB's foot and ankle injuries are slowing him down. His production just hasn't been the same in recent weeks. Ware has fresh legs, gobs of talent and he is dying for an opportunity. I think it's time the Giants give him one.

More Clint Sintim. During pre-season, a lot of folks thought Sintim, the second-round pick, would be the Giants rookie who had the biggest impact this season. A leg injury has derailed the young linebacker, but he is healthy now. Danny Clark might grade out OK on film, but we all know he is not a play maker. The Giants need play makers on defense right now, guys who are fast, strong, athletic and can make plays that change games. Michael Boley and Chris Canty might be those kinds of players. Sintim, too. The Giants need to get him on the field and see what he can do.

Less zone blitz. In fact, no zone blitz. Rip it out of the defensive playbook. I really, really hope that Bill Sheridan has looked at his propensity to call zone blitzes -- something he promised he would not do -- and realize that is the dumbest defense ever invented that is not called the prevent. Dropping Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka into coverage against tight ends is stupid, a recipe for failure. Let them do what they are paid to do, and what they do best, go crush some quarterbacks.

A little faith, Tom. The worst thing a head coach can do is play not to lose, rather than show faith in his eam and play to win. TC played not to lose at the end of the San Diego game, and ended up losing. If he allows the Giants to take a shot into the end zone and it doesn't work I can stomach that loss a lot easier. I also think TC's lack of faith is hurting the kicking game. Coughlin is so afraid of returns he has Jeff Feagles kicking everything out of bounds, and now Feagles -- one of the best directional punters ever -- is all screwed up. He's got Lawrence Tynes kicking squibbers and bouncers and God-awful looking kickoffs all over the place. Show a little faith in your coverage teams. And your quarterback, Tom. That's what you did in 2007. Don't show fear. Show belief.

Poll

Will the Giants make the playoffs

Yes

871 votes

No

209 votes

1080 votes | Poll has closed

The Giants are broken ... Now, how can they be fixed?

Ed Valentine — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:20 -0000

by Michael Perez - AP

Philadelphia Eagles' LeSean McCoy (29) rushes past New York Giants' Aaron Rouse (26) in the second half during an NFL football game Sunday. This type of thing has been happening to the Giants defense on a regular basis.

View full size photo »

We spent Monday complaining about all of the things that have gone wrong with our long-ago 5-0 New York Giants. Today, let's turn the page and think about what Tom Coughlin and Co. can do fix some of the things that have gone wrong the past three weeks.

I am starting with this premise. The biggest problem on this football team -- without any doubt in my mind -- is the underwhelming defense. This team was built to dominate defensively while the offense found its way as the young group of wide receivers grew into its responsibilities.

There have been weeks when the offense has not played well, which he realistically had to expect entering the season. Or when various aspects of the special teams have not played well. The one constant, though, has been that against good teams the defense has been completely overmatched.

When we weren't talking about Plaxico Burress during the off-season, we were talking about the devastating defense we thought General Manager Jerry Reese had assembled. So far this season, the only things the defense is devastating is the Giants' chance to be a good football team.

In the last three weeks the Giants have given up 112 points (37.3 per game) and been riddled by too many huge plays for me to even think about. Forget being a dominant defense. Bill Sheridan's unit is not even close to being a competent one right now.

So, what can be done to improve the situation? I am going to break this down into four categories -- defensive line, linebackers, secondary and philosophy.

via i391.photobucket.com

The defensive line

Remember back in the pre-season when we were wondering how defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan was going to find roster space -- and snaps -- for all the talented defensive linemen the Giants had collected?

Well, now the question is can anyone on that front four make a play?

The Giants are tied for seventh in the league with 18 sacks, but it is obvious that the front four cannot consistently pressure quarterbacks by itself -- which was the plan with this group. Osi is not the dominant force of yesteryear. Justin Tuck must still be nursing the Week 2 shoulder injury. Mathias Kiwanuka has been mostly a non-factor in recent weeks. The defensive tackles are non-existent in the pass rush.

The run defense has been horrible. Philadelphia ran for 180 yards, including 66 and 41-yard touchdown runs. Arizona, which is a bad running team, consistently got solid runs. New Orleans did what it wanted on the ground as well as in the air. All the way back to the Dallas game the run defense was a problem. In that game the Giants gave up runs of 56, 35 and 20 yards.

Way too often, running backs are hitting the second and third level of the Giants defense without being touched.

Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield are not holding up inside. Neither is Rocky Bernard, brought in from Seattle specifically to help the run defense. Jay Alford is gone for the year.

The solution? Inside I think all the Giants can hope for is that Chris Canty can make some plays if he ever comes back healthy. That is no guarantee, though, even if the Giants are paying him $42 million. He has never been a defensive tackle, and he has missed so much time there is no way of knowing how effective he can be. In all honesty, I have never been a big Cofield fan. As for Robbins and Bernard, I am wondering if both of these mammoth guys have just gotten old.

Outside, I think the only change the Giants can make is to start getting second-round pick Clint Sintim on the line in passing situations. Sintim and Osi at the ends, with Tuck and Kiwi at the tackles is the best pass-rush group the Giants can put on the field.

Other than that, all we can hope for is that Tuck and Umenyiora get healthier, and start making the plays they are being counted on to make.

via i268.photobucket.com

The linebackers

Ah, the linebackers. Ugh! There isn't much nice to say here. Without the injured Michael Boley this is an un-athletic, un-inspiring, un-imposing group.

Danny Clark? Nice guy, great character, Tom Coughlin loves him and DC will do great things off the field once his playing days are done. On the field, though, Clark should not be a starting linebacker in the NFL. The guy is old, slow and hardly ever makes a play. Pretty much, he is just out there.

Chase Blackburn? Again, great character guy. Great special teams player. Smart, can play multiple positions and is a good tackler. But, slow, not and doesn't get off his blocks very well. Not a play-making, starting caliber linebacker.

Antonio Pierce? We knew he is smart. We know he is the 'quarterback' of the defense. We also know he is slow in pass coverage, not very imposing in the middle of the defense and has been getting abused by offenses for the past two seasons. Who do you think teams are running at over and over and over when they gash the Giants up the middle? Sorry, but AP's best football is clearly behind him.

The solution? Clearly, some personnel changes are needed here. And this is an area of the defense where the Giants DO have some options. Those begin, again, with Sintim. I know the second-round pick from Virginia has clearly missed a lot of time on the practice field due to his leg injury earlier this season. He showed in the pre-season that he is an athlete, and a playmaker. It might be time to let Sintim learn on the field, replacing Clark. Sintim will make some mistakes, but he will also make some plays against the run simply with his athleticism. Against the pass? Put him at defensive end let him do what he does best -- get after quarterbacks.

On the other side, the Giants obviously miss Boley. In the couple of games he played before going down with a knee injury, he showed athleticism and cover skills the Giants have not had in an outside linebacker for a while. He will, of course, help when he returns. Until then? Sorry, Chase, but let's get Bryan Kehl on the field and see if he can help. Again, he is more athletic and maybe he can make a difference. Maybe he can't, but it's worth a shot to find out.

In the middle? The Giants are not moving Pierce out of there, as much as some of us might like them to. Blackburn is not the answer long-term in the middle, either. If the season spirals out of control (and Lord knows I am not wishing for that) I would like to see Jonathan Goff get a chance in the middle. He was impressive in pre-season and I want to know what he can do.

By the way, Clark, Blackburn and Gerris Wilkinson are free agents after this season. This group is headed for an off-season makeover.

The secondary

We have been over the issues with this group so many times I won't belabor them. The Giants miss Kenny Phillips so much I hate to even think about it. They miss Aaron Ross because at least he would provide them with some options. Have you noticed how often the Giants are playing 'nickel' with Michael Johnson, 'Bad, Bad C.C. Brown' and 'Just as Bad Aaron Rouse' on the field together? That's three safeties on the field in obvious passing situations -- none of whom can cover. A recipe for disaster.

There are no easy solutions here, though getting Ross back in some semblance of playing condition is probably the best the Giants can hope for. At least then in some of those passing situations they can get Brown off the field.

We would all love to see Brown get his pink slip. Yesterday. There is, truthfully, no help out there right now, however. If Reese could have done better than Rouse when KP went down he would have. But, teams don't jettison players mid-season without a good reason.

Maybe the Giants bring Sha'reef Rashad or Vince Anderson off the practice squad. It sure can't hurt, but it is no guarantee to help. Those guys are on the practice squad because the Giants didn't think they were ready to play at the NFL level yet.

Mostly, we just have to hope that Brown and Rouse learn from their mistakes, and get on the same page with the rest of the secondary. Oh, and that somebody back there remembers tackling is part of the job.

The philosophy

New defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan is under fire from every direction. Blitz more, Bill!. Don't blitz so much, Bill! How come your team can't play the run, Bill? Your guys can't cover, Bill! You can't carry Steve Spagnuolo's jock strap, Bill! Hey, Bill, we would have re-hired Tim Lewis or Johnnie Lynn if we wanted to watch this crap!

I have said it before -- I won't kill Sheridan over how much he blitzes or doesn't blitz. This team was built to pressure with four. It's not happening. They aren't getting home with the blitz, either. Because they just don't have the athletes.

That, really, is the crux of it. Right now the Giants simply don't have the athletes to be a dominant defense.

That said, it would be nice if Sheridan would remind his defensive backs that making a tackle once in a while would be nice.

Final word

I truly believe that better defense would solve a lot of the other problems the Giants are having. Inconsistent offense (which we expected entering the season), erratic special teams (which seems like a Giants trademark), the occasional incomprehensible Kevin Gilbride play call (yes, they do happen) would all be much less of an issue if the Giants could simply stop somebody once in a while.

We will see if Coughlin, Sheridan and Co. can figure out a way to make that happen. If they can't, the last eight games will be torture to watch.

Which Cardinals' player not named Larry Fitzgerald would you like to have?

Ed Valentine — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:58:34 -0000

In my chat earlier today with Charles Golden from 'Revenge of the Birds' I remembered to squeeze in my 'which player would you take off the Giants roster' question.

I was hoping Charles would reciprocate, because I have some thoughts about which Cardinals could help the Giants the most. He didn't, though, so I will toss the question out to you guys.

There is a caveat, though. Let's forget about Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Kurt Warner and the high-flying Arizona offense. Currently, the issues the Giants have are on defense. I think there are a few Cardinals players who could fit with the Giants, so let's discuss them.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB

First-round pick by Arizona last season, he has six interceptions in his first 21 games. Looks to me like a guy who is turning into the player we all hoped Aaron Ross would be. Rodgers-Cromartie sure would look nice at corner, maybe allowing Terrell Thomas to go play safety.

Antrel Rolle, S

A converted corner in his fifth season in the league, Rolle is still only 26. How does this scouting report, from Rolle's SB Nation player page, sound to you?

A converted cornerback with exceptional cover skills. Has great range when playing safety. Can be effective in man or zone coverage. Has great hands and can run with the ball. A good enough tackler to play free safety.

Umm, I think that sounds like a guy who would be a huge upgrade over 'Bad, Bad C.C. Brown' and Aaron Rouse.

Karlos Dansby, LB

Dansby's name was bandied about here during the off-season when it looked like he might be a free agent. He had 117 tackles in 2007 and 143 last season. He is a far more athletic outside linebacker than Danny Clark or Chase Blackburn. There are questions about whether or not he could be effective in a 4-3, but I wouldn't mind finding out.

Neil Rackers, PK

Yeah, I know, not a defender. But, c'mon, the 10-year veteran is one of the best kickers in the league. I think we would all take him before Lawrence Tynes.

Here are a couple of Rackers' facts for you.

Has not missed a field goal inside 30 yards since 2001.
Is 14-for-16 between 40 and 49 yards the past three seasons.
Has at least one field goal of 50+ yards in 5 straight seasons.

So, anyone on this list you guys would love to plug into the Giants' lineup? Anyone else on that defense you might be interested in?

Land of the Giants: Wrapping up the visit to Jerry World & Plax goes to Jail

cjmulrain — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:00:29 -0000

More photos » by Mary Altaffer - AP

2 months ago: FILE -- This is a July 29, 2009, file photo showing former Super Bowl star Plaxico Burress leaving Manhattan Criminal Court after testifying to a Grand Jury, in New York. Burress expects to begin serving prison time immediately for accidentally shooting himself at a nightclub last year. The former New York Giants wide receiver, who pleaded guilty Aug. 20 to one count of attempted criminal possession of a weapon, was to be sentenced Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009. He has said he hopes to return to football when he's freed. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Browse more photos »

If the ESPN power rankings were as important as college football polls, the Giants would have a good reason to be pissed off today. After the top 2 teams from last week lost, the Giants only move up one spot to #2, while the Ravens jump them, moving up 9 spots from #10. I like the Ravens and think they're a good team, but how is winning a close game against an overrated Chargers team that much more impressive than winning a close game against an overrated Cowboys team? Both the Fox Sports and CBS Sporstline power rankings have the Giants at #1. In the biggest "huh?" moment of the week, Peter King ranked the Giants 5th(!) in his "fine fifteen" this week.
Danny Clark claims that Jerry Jones "cut some corners" in the Cowboys new stadium. Speaking of the Death Star, here's some video from the inside.
Matt Mosley sums up the Plaxico situatio n:

Burress has made enough money to put his family in a beautiful home and provide them with security while he's in prison. But because of one incredibly dumb decision, Burress has robbed himself of almost two years with his son. To me, that's saddest part of this whole thing.

Fred Robbins blogs about the Cowboys game and looking ahead to the Tampa game:

Tampa Bay is next and we have to make corrections and adjustments because Dallas ran for a lot of yardage, so you know Tampa is going to try to run it, too. They have a good O-line and good backs, so we have to go out there and shut down the run and give our pass rushers a chance to pass rush.

Finally, Mike Vaccaro puts the victory over the Cowboys into the context of the current era of Giants football:

The fact is, it was a great team effort, delivered by a great team, in the middle of an era of its history when winning has become a basic part of the job description.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately: the Giants are definitely in the midst of one of, if not the greatest stretch in team history. They've been to the playoffs four straight years, won a Super Bowl, have great young players at almost every position, and have one of the brightest GM's in the business. It's easy to overreact to little things during the season, but sometimes it helps to take a step back and just appreciate the run the Giants have been on since Eli Manning became the Quarterback.

Land of the Giants: Hagan keeps hanging on

Ed Valentine — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:00:10 -0000

Here is your Thursday morning roundup of news and opinion regarding our New York Giants.

Derek Hagan apparently continued his spectacular pre-season Wednesday with a tremendous catch to end practice. Tom Rock also has some good news on defensive tackle Chris Canty and linebacker Michael Boley. When it comes to Hagan, I just don't know how the Giants will justify it if they end up cutting him.
Mike Garafolo has a lot more on the Canty's condition.

"I felt pretty good moving around a little bit today, so hopefully we can build on that and continue to move forward," Canty said, though he admitted the big test will be Thursday morning. "You want to see how it feels -- if it's sore in the morning. But I'm not anticipating that. I'm thinking only the best and hopefully we'll be able to build off today."

Canty said he's "very hopeful" he'll be out there in Week 1. That's obviously the big goal for his return, but Canty realizes he's missing valuable time right now, especially since he's making the transition to a 4-3 defense (at tackle) after playing the last nine seasons in a 3-4 (at end) with the Cowboys and in college at Virginia.

"I got a few practices there in the beginning, but I really need some work on it to be where I want to be, to be where this ball club wants me to be in order to be able to contribute," Canty said, later adding this about the switch to a 4-3: "It's a completely new defense. It's the first time I've had to learn a new defense in nine years -- since high school. I've been playing 3-4 for the last decade. So playing a 4-3 is a little bit different so far as the philosophy, terminology and techniques. It's an adjustment, but at the end of the day football is football and I'm a football player."

We keep talking about the Giants' offensive line depth. Well, Jason La Canfora of NFL.com lists Mark Tauscher and Levi Jones as currently available free agent offensive tackles who might be worth a look.

Tauscher is coming off surgery, but is cleared to play and brings a pedigree of steady and heady play from his time in Green Bay. Jones’ attitude has come into question in the past, but when he’s on, he is good. Both of these players would be an upgrade for several teams over what they have at that position right now.

In a separate post, LaCanfora mentions that Giants' linebacker Gerris Wilkinson could draw interest from several teams if the Giants were to decide he isn't in their plans. Wilkinson has spent some time this pre-season working at middle linebacker, increasing his versatility.
Speaking of roster spots, David Tyree knows his chances are running out. The Baltimore Sun wonders if Tyree would be a fit with the receiver-needy Ravens.
Peter King does not list Giants' linebacker Clint Sintim among the 10 most impressive rookies of the pre-season. No matter. When all is said and done, Sintim's pass-rushing skills and athleticism will likely have him among the league's top 10 most productive rookies. I have said it before, but Danny Clark won't have his starting job for long.

New York Giants training camp: Monday afternoon practice report

Ed Valentine — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:42:51 -0000

Here is your Monday afternoon practice report from New York Giants training camp at UAlbany.

Let's just say it was brutally obvious that the intensity was ratcheted up a few notches this afternoon, the first full practice since Saturday's embarrassing pre-season loss to Chicago. There was heavy hitting, and more pad-popping than at any time in camp.

Oh, and two fights. Or near fights. The first involved cornerback Bruce Johnson and wide receiver Shaun Bodiford when they got tangled up, went to the ground and came up mauling each other WWE style.

The second also involved Bruce Johnson. I didn't see what started it, but I did see tight end Darcy Johnson take a couple of swings at him, which drew a lot of players before Brandon Jacobs stepped in to play peacemaker.

Bruce Johnson, who is fighting for a roster spot, was obviously testy today. After the two fights, he knocked a pass away from David Tyree and gave the 'throat-slash' sign, which immediately drew the ire of the offense -- and the coaching staff.

Here are some other highlights of Monday's practice.

No 1 pick Hakeem Nicks has had a mostly quiet camp, fighting through a hamstring issue. Nothing quiet about Nicks' work Monday, though. He was, quite simply, the most dominant player on the field. Nicks made two leaping, one-handed catches Monday. One on a long ball down the right sideline from Rhett Bomar when he was well-covered by, who else, Bruce Johnson. The second was a red zone fade from Andre Woodson when he hauled in a pass in the corner of the end zone. Nicks also caught a long ball down the left sideline from Woodson when he ran by DeAndre Wright. Pretty obvious the coaches noticed Nicks' work. He ran with the first team in three-wide sets during the two-minute drill near the end of practice.
Mathias Kiwanuka made what is probably the defensive play of camp during 11-on-11 work. Lined up at left end, Kiwanuka picked off a bubble screen for Mario Manningham for what would have been a touchdown. Kiwanuka practically took the ball out of Eli Manning's hands. I don't know if Kiwi made a fabulous move, or Kareem McKenzie made a horrendous block, but it was an awesome athletic play.
Eli had three passes picked off today, incidentally. Oh, and there was a fumble on a handoff from Eli to Ahmad Bradshaw. Yuck! Not what you want to see this far into camp.
Derek Hagan, the Giants' practice superstar, made several nice grabs today. Now if he could only translate that to a game he might actually make the team.
Very few opportunities for Rhett Bomar, but he threw a few nice balls. A good sideline out to Taye Biddle was probably his best throw.
Rocky Bernard provided some good news on the defensive tackle front, making a couple of nice stops, including getting into the backfield to drop Danny Ware for a loss.
Dave Tollefson had what would have been a sack of David Carr when he beat William Beatty.
INJURY NOTES: Kenny Phillips, Aaron Ross, Chris Snee and Rich Seubert all worked today. Ross was limitied a bit, but the rest went fully. Antonio Pierce, Michael Boley and Danny Clark just did a few individual drills.

Today's Transcripts

Antonio Pierce
Running backs coach Jerald ingram
Quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer