Where Will Super Bowl Hero David Tyree Land?

On Sept. 5, 2009, David Tyree’s storied career with the New York Giants came to an end.

After being placed on injured reserve for the 2008 season, Tyree attempted to make a comeback in 2009.

Injuries and inconsistency plagued Tyree over the course of training camp, and the addition of two rookie receivers in Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden, along with Derek Hagan heightened the competition for the receiver position on New York’s roster.

Though Tyree’s career with The Giants has come to an end, his NFL career surely has not. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2005 as a special teams player and is a legitimate depth receiver. There are plenty of teams in need of such a player.

Here are some possible destinations for Tyree:

1. The New York Jets

Behind Chansi Stuckey and Jerricho Cotchery, The Jets don’t have a lot of depth at receiver. David Clowney may have some potential, but has yet to prove much. Tyree would fill in nicely as a number three or four receiver in New York and form a dangerous tandem with Brad Smith on special teams coverage.

Besides, Tyree is a Montclair native and already has residence in North Jersey.

2. The Washington Redskins

A division rival of The Giants, The Redskins also lack depth at the receiver position They have Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly behind Santana Moss and Antwan Randel El, but Kelly and Thomas are inexperienced. They have a ton of talent and will definitely round out the top four receivers for this season and beyond, but behind them a good veteran presence would be nice for Washington, especially if that player can come through on special teams.

Tyree would be a good leader for the special teams and would contribute nicely to Washington’s receiver depth.

3. The Baltimore Ravens

Similarly to Washington, behind their starting receivers Baltimore doesn’t have much at the receiver position. Mason is really the only legitimate wide out Baltimore has. In Baltimore, Tyree would have the opportunity to compete for the number three of four position along with contributing on special teams, something that Baltimore always values. Being a good special teams player and a good veteran presence is something that The Raven organization always looks for.

4. The Kansas City Chiefs

As this off season demonstrated, The Chiefs are looking for veteran players to help them out. They recently brought in Toomer before cutting him, and have also brought in Mike Vrabel and Zach Thomas. Tyree is a very good veteran in a pass oriented offense who would bring a ton of special teams intensity.

Keep your ears open the next few days on this subject.

Though it pains me to acknowledge that Tyree could land in any of the aforementioned places, it is very possible. Division rivals love to scoop up each others players, and Tyree is also a good fit. It is tough to see such a warrior and inspiring presence leave your team.

Regardless of what the future holds, Tyree will forever hold a place in Giants lore.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Giants Fans, Brace Yourselves

With the first week of camp nearly in the bag, it would be an understatement to say that there has been a lot of news on The Giants’ front.

Between Antonio Pierce not being indicted and Eli Manning’s contract, there has been quite a buzz around the campus at The University of Albany.

Too bad that isn’t the buzz this piece concerns though.

There are several Giants who seem to have been left out of everyone’s calculations whom I believe will make a massive impact in 2009 and beyond. 

Bryan Kehl—Each and every day thus far in camp Kehl has stepped his game up, stopping the run, defending the pass, and just flat out making his presence felt.

To be quite honest, I wasnt all that excited about the signing of Michael Boley this offseason for the simple fact that his presence would detract from Kehl’s playing time.

In limited duty in 2008, Kehl was (by definition, via tackle, pass defended, sack) in on 33 percent of the plays he was on the field for, behind only Justin Tuck.

In week 17 against Minnesota, Kehl was spectacular, with nine tackles and a sack. Kehl is one of a few players who actually have me feeling excited about New York’s linebacking core for the first time in a number of years.

Sinorice Moss—Ever since the spring, this guy has been doing it all. Thus far at camp, it would not be an exaggeration to say he has been wide open on every play. The defensive backs even asked him to “slow down” on one occasion.

Moss has been around for a while now in New York, entering his fourth season. Though his opportunities have been slim, Moss has been fairly impressive.

In 2008, he had 12 passes thrown his way, and caught 12.

Just wait, Moss will emerge as a major weapon for New York in 2009. Mark my words.

Jay Alford—Since signing Chris Canty and Rocky Bernard, Alford has really been a forgotten man. He spent his offseason working out with Osi Umenyiora in Atlanta, and also had surgery to fix a lazy eye.

While working out with The Chief himself, Alford has apparently been clued into his “secret” about opponent’s snap counts. Umenyiora is notorious for getting off the ball before anyone else on the field even moves, and now Alford knows how the secret works.

Umenyiora wouldn’t divulge much about this secret other than the fact that “it’s in the eyes.”

True or not, both Umenyiora and Alford have been unstoppable off the snap at camp. Justin Tuck claims that Alford will be the starting nickel defensive tackle, and with this news, things are looking even scarier for New York’s defense.

The Secondary—Two words: Kenny Phillips.

Whether it be taking on Brandon Jacobs head on, or tracking the ball all over the field, Phillips has done it in every practice session thus far.

Another impressive member of this group has been Terrell Thomas. Of all of the corners, none have stayed on the hip of the receivers like Thomas thus far.

The type of fierce competition going on in the secondary is going to yield some major results for The Giants this season. If this unit performs to the level it has thus far, the defense will be catapulted into a whole new dimension in 2009.

Other Good Notes

—Steve Smith is looking like more than an average slot guy these days, he runs his routes like a true pro and has been wide open.

—Eli Manning really picked up his game today, hitting every receiver he threw to in stride with room to run. The Giants have speed, and if Eli can tap into it like he did today, the Giants offense will be damn near unstoppable this season.

—Clint Sintim is looking like a fantastic selection, he has looked great in coverage and has absolutely blown people up in the backfield.

He did lead the nation (NCAA) in sacks from the linebacker position this past season. If his play against the run continues to excel, he may start over Danny Clark.

—Chris Canty should be nicknamed Megatron. Hes about as big, and if his facemask (http://blog.nj.com/giants_impact/2009/07/large_cantyquestionnaire) doesn’t scream ” I’m from the future and I’m gonna kill you” I don’t know what does.

Between the flow of good reports, and the pads popping, I’m excited for football season.

If these players emerge in 2009, brace yourselves for a fun ride.

Eli Manning, Giants Agree On Historic Contract Extension

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports is reporting that The New York Giants and quarterback Eli Manning have agreed to a six-year extension worth $97.5 million.

Factoring in Manning’s 2009 salary, it is essentially a seven-year, $106.9 million deal.

Discounting Julius Peppers franchise tag, Manning will now earn the league’s highest per-year salary in history.

Lastly, Manning will make $35 million guaranteed.

Though a majority of fans will view Manning as undeserving of this type of contract, it is the market which dictates the salary of players, not their skill.

Defensive tackles and corners are now receiving over $15 million per year.

When dealing with a franchise quarterback under the age of 30 who has won it all and led his team to the playoffs four straight years, The Giants’ front office must pay him what he deserves.

Here is an excerpt from my piece Eli Manning, Misunderstood:

Since his arrival in New York, Eli Manning has been one of the most intriguing (if nothing else) figures in all of sports. The younger brother of all-world quarterback Peyton Manning and son of southern legend Archie Manning, Eli entered the league with much to live up to.

 

The expectations surrounding Manning were largely due to the stigma that comes from being the first overall pick in the draft.

 

After leading his team to the playoffs four straight years, winning one Super Bowl, and commanding the NFL’s highest scoring offense for the better part of the 2008 season, the debate as to Eli’s stature as an NFL quarterback rages on.

 

It is in my belief that a large part of the hostility towards Eli on behalf of Giants fans is a product of Eli’s personality. Each and every press conference, Eli responds to questions by saying “I just need to make better decisions.”

 

People like closure. People want to hear him acknowledge that his performance against Philadelphia was horrid, but that just isn’t Eli’s personality. This friction that Eli generates with the media and New Yorkers often causes him to be the target of their ire.

 

Every single football fan in America, not just Giants fans, know Eli’s dumb puppy-dog expression as he walks off the field following an interception.

 

Three of the four times that The Giants have been to the playoffs with Eli Manning they were bounced without winning a game, and fans say “Eli has been one and done three times.”

 

People are determined to make Eli the scapegoat so much so, that I have heard that “The Giants won it all In spite of Eli” or “David Carr Could have led the Giants to the record they had last year”.

 

Such notions are utterly ridiculous and are surely rooted in the fact that people just don’t understand Eli as a person.

 

Understanding why someone behaves the way they do goes a long way in terms of how you perceive them, and I can’t name one person who understands Eli Manning.

 

When I hear disparaging comments about Eli, it isn’t exactly like he has all-world stats to formulate an argument around in order to counter what people say about him. Which brings me to my point: when judging Eli Manning as a quarterback, the most important factor is perspective.

 

For Example (for all you stat people out there):

 

–    Drew Brees’ Quarterback rating on the road (or outdoors, where Eli plays every game) is an 80.3, worse than Kyle Orton, John Kitna, and Jason Campbell. Eli’s is an 86.5.

 

–    Eli has lost in the playoffs three times, whereas Peyton has lost six times (at least four of which were one and done as well)

 

–    Eli’s career passer rating is a 76.1. Joe Namath’s is a 65.5, Terry Bradshaw’s a 70.9, Troy Aikman’s an 81.6, and John Elway’s a 79.9. The latter group is considered some of the greatest of all time, while Eli draws comparisons to Dave Brown.

 

–    Eli has engineered 18 fourth-quarter comebacks in his career, doubling the rate of the all time leader Brett Favre.

 

Probably the most important thing to consider when judging Eli is the events which have transpired around him over the course of his career. It all started with a punk tight end who wore No. 80 (who shall remain nameless) who undermined Eli game in and game out, chewing his ear off on the sidelines.

 

Then, the year of the venerable one: Tiki. The list of things he said about Eli and the team goes on. Most recently, the receiver half of the most dynamic quarterback-receiver tandem in the league (since 2005) shot himself in the leg. Eli has also has seen the firing of one offensive coordinator.

 

On the other hand, Peyton Manning now has nine first round draft picks at his disposal on his offense. Tom Brady? One of the greatest coaches of all time, as well as one of the greatest receivers (granted he didn’t always have Moss but as Brady achieved all-world status he did).

 

Eli? The only first round pick on his offense right now is Hakeem Nicks.

 

Simply put, there is zero stability surrounding Eli.

 

Turmoil, lack of stability, whatever you want to call it. In the midst of it, Eli has led the Giants to the playoffs 4 straight times.

 

Despite what many may think, this contract is not so much about what Eli has done, but what the Giants believe he will do.

 

Ask Brady or Peyton. A quarterback’s prime is age 30.

Signing Of Giants Rookies Is Next Step In Jerry Reese’s Growing Legacy

Just one day prior to the opening of training camp, The Giants signed first round selection Hakeem Nicks to what is reportedly a five-year deal worth up to $12.5 million.

The Giants also recently signed both Clint Sintim and William Beatty to deals of four years in length.

There is something in particular worth noting about the contracts of these players: they are a fairly decent length all things considered. I believe that Jerry Reese is making an incredible move here by doing so.

If any of the three emerge as big time players, rather than fork over $10 million per year for their services, The Giants have secured them for a number of years at a discount price. Of course the market for contracts grows each year, but with the top picks from this season signed for a number of years, Reese can examine just how the market behaves before considering what type of extension to award these players.

Consider the big time positions (tackle, receiver, outside linebacker) that the players play, and the type of money that players usually demand at those positions, i must commend Jerry Reese for not balking at the idea of swinging a trade for a receiver who would almost certainly demand a greater salary than these players combined.

The value of Hakeem Nicks, William Beatty, Clint Sintim, Travis Beckum, and Ramses Barden far outweighs the value of one over priced receiver who is years older than they are.

With a stellar performance on the part of and of the aforementioned players in 2009, the legend of Jerry Reese will continue to grow in New York.

Signing Of Giants Rookies Is Next Step In Jerry Reese’s Growing Legacy

Just one day prior to the opening of training camp, The Giants signed first round selection Hakeem Nicks to what is reportedly a five-year deal worth up to $12.5 million.

The Giants also recently signed both Clint Sintim and William Beatty to deals of four years in length.

There is something in particular worth noting about the contracts of these players: they are a fairly decent length all things considered. I believe that Jerry Reese is making an incredible move here by doing so.

If any of the three emerge as big time players, rather than fork over $10 million per year for their services, The Giants have secured them for a number of years at a discount price. Of course the market for contracts grows each year, but with the top picks from this season signed for a number of years, Reese can examine just how the market behaves before considering what type of extension to award these players.

Consider the big time positions (tackle, receiver, outside linebacker) that the players play, and the type of money that players usually demand at those positions, i must commend Jerry Reese for not balking at the idea of swinging a trade for a receiver who would almost certainly demand a greater salary than these players combined.

The value of Hakeem Nicks, William Beatty, Clint Sintim, Travis Beckum, and Ramses Barden far outweighs the value of one over priced receiver who is years older than they are.

With a stellar performance on the part of and of the aforementioned players in 2009, the legend of Jerry Reese will continue to grow in New York.

NY Giants’ 2008 Demise May Prove To Be Their Greatest Asset in 2009

With training camp just around the bend, one thing regarding the New York Giants is for sure: They are motivated.

After Big Blue’s miraculous victory in Super Bowl XLII,  Tom Coughlin was hard pressed to find a motivating message for the 2008 season.

After all, knocking off a previously unbeaten team in The Super Bowl can create quite a hangover.

Coughlin fared just fine though, as the general told his troops simply to turn the page, and they did just that, to the tune of an 11-1 start to the season.

Entering 2009, Coughlin and the Giants are singing a different tune.

“They need to think long and hard about the disappointment of January in terms of what we have created for ourselves and how badly we want to prioritize our 2009 season,” were the words of Coughlin.

Brandon Jacobs offered up his view on the matter as well, saying “We have a very bad, bitter, disgusting taste. It hurts more than anything. We know how good we were last year and the opportunity we had in front of us. We did not take advantage of it the way we were supposed to.”

Last year’s loss to Philadelphia was not like playoff losses of the past though.

In the Giants’ 2005 loss to Carolina and 2006 loss to Philadelphia, The Giants were severely out-manned and were decimated by injuries. Heck, Tiki Barber even thought the Giants were out-coached.

In 2008 though, The Giants were Goliath, and the Eagles were David.

Philly needed a Sunday of miracles in week 17 to even be in the playoffs. But they took advantage of their opportunity.

The Giants have now had plenty of time to reflect on what it feels like to play both the roles of David and Goliath.

With the veteran leadership of players like Brandon Jacobs, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Eli Manning, and Antonio Pierce, Big Blue has plenty of players which the team can look to when the chips are down.

From week one through the postseason, 2008 will be on the Giants’ mind.

NY Giants’ 2008 Demise May Prove To Be Their Greatest Asset in 2009

With training camp just around the bend, one thing regarding the New York Giants is for sure: They are motivated.

After Big Blue’s miraculous victory in Super Bowl XLII,  Tom Coughlin was hard pressed to find a motivating message for the 2008 season.

After all, knocking off a previously unbeaten team in The Super Bowl can create quite a hangover.

Coughlin fared just fine though, as the general told his troops simply to turn the page, and they did just that, to the tune of an 11-1 start to the season.

Entering 2009, Coughlin and the Giants are singing a different tune.

“They need to think long and hard about the disappointment of January in terms of what we have created for ourselves and how badly we want to prioritize our 2009 season,” were the words of Coughlin.

Brandon Jacobs offered up his view on the matter as well, saying “We have a very bad, bitter, disgusting taste. It hurts more than anything. We know how good we were last year and the opportunity we had in front of us. We did not take advantage of it the way we were supposed to.”

Last year’s loss to Philadelphia was not like playoff losses of the past though.

In the Giants’ 2005 loss to Carolina and 2006 loss to Philadelphia, The Giants were severely out-manned and were decimated by injuries. Heck, Tiki Barber even thought the Giants were out-coached.

In 2008 though, The Giants were Goliath, and the Eagles were David.

Philly needed a Sunday of miracles in week 17 to even be in the playoffs. But they took advantage of their opportunity.

The Giants have now had plenty of time to reflect on what it feels like to play both the roles of David and Goliath.

With the veteran leadership of players like Brandon Jacobs, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, Eli Manning, and Antonio Pierce, Big Blue has plenty of players which the team can look to when the chips are down.

From week one through the postseason, 2008 will be on the Giants’ mind.

Note To Giants: Fly Air Manning

Every time the Giants’ offense is mentioned, people are inclined to think about a power running game, and rightfully so.

Power running is what the Giants are all about; it’s what they have always been about.

In the NFL though, defenses respect balance: The ability to both run the ball and throw the ball at any given time.

As the 2008 season drew to a close, the Giants lacked that balance. None of the young receivers (or veterans for that matter) emerged as a reliable target for Eli Manning.

That said, the Giants continued to employ their “power running” strategy to no avail. Teams were able to stuff the Giants’ running game at will.

So to all you “power running game” apologists, I’m going to offer up an “I’m sorry” beforehand.

The Giants need to spread it out and air it out in 2009.

With both Hixon and Smith entering their third seasons, Sinorice Moss reportedly progressing rapidly, and the addition of the physical Hakeem Nicks, it is imperative that the Giants force defenses to respect them from day one. Their best chance at doing so is utilizing all of the aforementioned receivers together.

In 2008, the Giants were afforded the luxury of running out of two tight end formations (and other power formations) while facing seven man fronts.

No more.

The skill sets that all of the Giants current receivers bring to the table will be amplified as they line up next to one another.

The speed of Domenik Hixon and Sinorice Moss, the route running skills (and even the speed) of Steve Smith, and the physicality of Hakeem Nicks will all work better as two or more of them face nickel and dime corners as well as zone coverage.

The best part of all of this is the degree to which using these receivers together will amplify the running game.

Draw plays, sweeps, and even dive plays from single-back sets will all be more effective with three and four receivers on the field. Teams must respect the skills of the receivers out there if they hope not to get burned.

By no means am I suggesting that the Giants abandon the running game, I am simply stating that both the running game and passing game will be better out of more three and four wide receiver sets as opposed to two tight end sets.

Don’t believe this will work? Take a look at the San Diego Chargers.

Once upon a time they were entirely predicated on a Ladainian Tomlinson running game, then they put the ball in the hands of Phillip Rivers and like magic, with no real notable receivers spare Antonio Gates, the Charger offense became a passing offense.

What really sparked this thinking process was the fact that 2009 is Eli’s contract year.

If the Giants are really going to make Eli the league’s highest paid player (and trust me, they are) they must put the ball in his hands. Eli must be afforded the opportunity to prove that he is worth it with no restrictions whatsoever.

In the sunny months of September and October, it is absolutely imperative that the Giants shake the stigma which says that they can’t throw the ball. Once they do that, they can go about their merry way pounding Jacobs into the heart of defenses in December and January.

There are bigger things going on here than what philosophy best defines the Giants over the course of their history.

Jerry Reese and The Maras are sitting on a 28 year old quarterback who has lead their team to the playoffs four years in a row, won a Super Bowl, and made a Pro Bowl, but still has so much to prove.

Even before the 2004 Draft, The Maras were losing sleep over whether or not to pick Manning. Accorsi demanded it, but John Mara proved a road block. The debate raged on like fire within the organization for almost a year prior to the 2004 Draft.

In one of the organizations most defining moments of all time, the Giants traded for Manning. They traded a lot for him.

Now the story has come full circle, and if Eli does not perform like the best player in the league in 2009, the Maras may lose even more sleep at the prospect of forking over $120 million to an average player.

To conclude, not only does opening the passing game up offer more options offensively, it is a must in an underlying plot to determine how much longer Eli Manning will be the face of the New York Giants.

The Maras have been running a franchise for over 85 years, they know what they are doing.

As for Jerry Reese, we already know based on his small body of work that he is one of the best there is.

That said, the organization knows that the Giants are a very young team whose window is opening, not closing.

2009 is about one thing, and one thing only: Determining the value of Manning.

With that in mind, my ideas about the offense are not so much a suggestion as they are a warning of what is about to happen.

There are always underlying plots within organizations which we don’t know about as fans. But fear not, the “underlying plot” of determining Manning’s value will soon rise to the surface.

Like usual, Manning seems un-phased by these serious circumstances.

We are about to find out if that’s because he has a quiet confidence which none of us can understand, or if he is too dumb to understand what exactly is going on here.

All I know is, whenever the chips have been down in his career, it’s been the quiet confidence which emerged.

Speaking of chips, mine are all in on Manning.

 

NY Giants: Highlights of Hope from the 2008 Season

Though The New York Giants had a forgettable ending to the 2008 season, there was still plenty of good to be drawn from the season as a whole.

The Giants played nine games in total last season minus the presence of Plaxico Burress.

In the final five games, the Giants were a miserable 1-4 including a post season loss to Philadelphia.

But prior to Burress shooting himself, the Giants were 4-0 in his absence. Beating Pittsburgh (Burress did not start, but played sparingly late) Seattle, Arizona (Burress played one play), and Washington (the day of his shooting).

If The Giants were able to beat those teams minus Burress, there was surely something else missing in the final portion of the season that caused them to stumble.

Against both Dallas and Philadelphia, the Giants were without Brandon Jacobs for the most part, as he went down midway through their second bout with Philadelphia.

Defensively, the Giants surrendered 13 third down conversions in that same game against Philadelphia.

The following week, the Giants lost both Rich Seuburt and Kareem McKenzie during the game.

All of these seemingly small details contributed more to New York’s demise than Plaxico Burress, in my opinion.

Let’s examine some of New York’s best performances (contained in hyperlinks) minus Plaxico Burress in 2008.

Week Four: Giants rack up over 350 yards in the first half.

Week 12: Hixon shows his abilities against Cromartie and as a returner.

Week 13: Eli throws for 267 in the first half.

As the 2009 roster shapes up, third down receiver Steve Smith, who recorded 57 catches in 2008 while only playing one down, will be inserted into the starting lineup alongside Hixon. Both are in their magical third seasons as receivers and should see vast improvement.

Should Hixon struggle against players like Terrance Newmen (as he did), the Giants can opt to utilize first round selection Hakeem Nicks (talk about physicality) as a more physical presence in certain situations.

The receiver-by-committee may just yield New York’s best passing game in years, provided that camp goes well for Eli and the Giants.

Brandon Jacobs: Tony Romo’s “Not That Good”

In a recent interview with 1050 ESPN Radio, Brandon Jacobs offered up his not-so-flattering thoughts on Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

“I don’t think he’s that good a passer, to be honest with you,” Jacobs said of Romo. “His luck will be gone sooner or later. If you were to keep [him] in the pocket. he’s not that effective.”

Jacobs has a point. When Tony Romo sees and feels pressure and is forced to stay in the pocket, he isn’t nearly as good a player.

The 2009 season will be critical for Romo (and it may be his last in Dallas) as he will be without Terrell Owens. In their time together, Owens was responsible for 39 touchdown receptions.

Maybe the stigma that’s most important for Romo to shake is that he is a chronic choker.

In his career he has recorded zero playoff wins.

Did I mention 2009 would be critical for Romo?

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