Giant news and stuff

[Kid Cid]

From Big Blue Interactive:

 

Shockey Trade Talk Won’t Go Away: The Daily News is reporting that the Seattle Seahawks are now also interested in possibly trading for TE Jeremy Shockey. Earlier reports had said the New Orleans Saints had offered the Giants their #2 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft for Shockey. The paper says one source has indicated that other unidentified teams have expressed an interest as well.

 

The Daily News says that team sources have said the Giants are not actively shopping Shockey but have listened to offers and are considering the possibility. The paper also reports that some sources within the organization believe Shockey will be traded before the first day of the draft (this Saturday) is over. Other sources have told The Daily News that it will depend on the strength of the trade offers.

 

You have to think that with all this talk someone will come up with a magic number to pry him away.

 

Tyree Has Knee Surgery: WR David Tyree had surgery on his right knee last week and will not be able to practice until training camp starts in late July. He will miss the Organized Team Activity (OTA) days and the full-squad mini-camp. The details of the injury are not known but Tyree said the knee "locked up on him" at some point during the past couple of weeks. The Daily News Giants’ Blog is reporting that Tyree may have partially torn his meniscus.

 

"It more or less happened after (the season)," Tyree said. "It’s something that they basically had to go in, take care of and clean up…I had to go take care of business. I looked at the MRI and it was the best decision. It was basically do it now or take the chance of going into the season and have something worse happen."

 

"I’m not the least bit worried about it and I’ll be ready for training camp," said Tyree.

 

Much like Tim Carter, this guy is unable to stay healthy. No significant impact here.

 

Giants Looking to Address Defensive Tackle Position?: According to The Daily News‘ Giants’ Blog, team source says the Giants are interested in addressing the defensive tackle position in this weekend’s NFL Draft. The team supposedly wants to improve its interior pass rush. The Blog speculates that DT Fred Robbins may not be with the Giants more than another season due to age and salary concerns.

 

Not as critical a need as a Safety or LB, but we could see a day 1 draft pick here.

 

Notes and Quotes: TE Darcy Johnson, who was the front runner for the #2 tight end position until he was forced to have knee surgery during training camp last year, says his knee is 100 percent. Johnson says his weight is now up to 270.

 

TE Kevin Boss on the assertion by some that the Giants were better off without TE Jeremy Shockey last season: "It’s disappointing to me, it upsets me how he’s been treated in the media since the Super Bowl. People have kind of just given up on him. It’s upsetting for all of us as a team to have all of our teammates talked about like that…It would tear anybody up. That’s upsetting for all of us as a team. We wouldn’t have been there without Jeremy. He made a lot of big plays to get us where we were…He’ll be back. I’ve got a lot more to learn from him. He’s been a great mentor. Obviously he’s a better player than me. He can do some things I can’t yet."

 

At least someone taught Kevin Boss how to talk to the media unlike his mentor.

[Duchess Jack]

From Big Blue Interactive:

 

TE Kevin Boss on the assertion by some that the Giants were better off without TE Jeremy Shockey last season: "It’s disappointing to me, it upsets me how he’s been treated in the media since the Super Bowl. People have kind of just given up on him. It’s upsetting for all of us as a team to have all of our teammates talked about like that…It would tear anybody up. That’s upsetting for all of us as a team. We wouldn’t have been there without Jeremy. He made a lot of big plays to get us where we were…He’ll be back. I’ve got a lot more to learn from him. He’s been a great mentor. Obviously he’s a better player than me. He can do some things I can’t yet."

 

At least someone taught Kevin Boss how to talk to the media unlike his mentor.

 

Classy kid.

[Guest Chappy]

Classy kid.

 

Comments like that and the solid production he's shown on the field just make it even easier to trade Shockey away. It would be a great move for the G-Men.

[Duchess Jack]

Comments like that and the solid production he's shown on the field just make it even easier to trade Shockey away. It would be a great move for the G-Men.

Agreed. They cannot do it for anything less than a early second, though.

[Robash]

Osi won't hold out

Osi Umenyiora will not be a training camp holdout.

 

The Giants defensive end, who admittedly was pondering skipping training camp unless the Giants gave him a raise, said today he has decided against it. Though he’s not completely happy with the six-year, $41 million extension he signed in Dec. of 2005, he said, “Right now it’s not the time for me to try to do anything crazy like that.”

 

“I’m not going to say I wasn’t thinking about it,” Umenyiora said. “I mean, come on, you see what’s going on out there (with escalating salaries), but I don’t think it’s the right thing to do. I’m happy to be here. I want to be here. I don’t want to seem disrespectful. I don’t want to do anything crazy. I’m cool.”

 

Umenyiora said he has not approached the Giants about renegotiating his contract, nor does he have any immediate plans to do so. “When it’s time to do the right thing, they will do the right thing,” Umenyiora said. “Right now, I’m just going to go out and try to earn what they’ve paid me already.”

 

 

Who the Giants will pick on Saturday

With the 31st pick in the first round of the NFL draft, the Super Bowl champion New York Giants select …

 

Kenny Phillips, safety, University of Miami.

 

And I’m pretty sure I’m right about that. OK, really, you can never be sure when it comes to the NFL draft because there is twice as much misinformation available as there is actual information. But that pick makes sense on so many levels and so many people have told me that he’s their guy that … well, I’ll be honest. I’m a little worried. But the Giants need a safety. He’s the best safety in the draft. And there’s at least a decent chance he’ll be sitting there at 31 because safeties aren’t typically sought after in the first round, and they often slip farther than expected.

 

For what it’s worth, Phillips was available when I made the Giants’ pick yesterday in Sports Illustrated’s mock draft, which will be revealed pick by pick this afternoon on SI.com.

 

Here’s what you need to know about the 6-2, 212-pounder: First of all, Steve Spagnuolo loves him, according to a team source. He’s got terrific instincts and cover skills, knows how to read offenses, is strong enough to handle tight ends and is fast enough (4.49 in the 40) to handle most receivers. Remember, Spagnuolo came from a defense in Philly where the safety - Brian Dawkins - was an integral part. He really didn’t have that type of safety in New York last year.

 

The only one who was close, of course, was Gibril Wilson, who is now an Oakland Raider. He left behind James Butler, who was very up and down last year, and Michael Johnson, a former seventh-rounder the Giants still consider a little raw. The Giants also signed veteran Sammy Knight, but he’ll be 33 in September and obviously doesn’t have a long-term future with the team.

 

So the need is obvious, and so is the player. He’s admittedly not a very good blitzer, which could be an issue. He said he never could get his blitz timing right at Miami, so he shied away from the task. That skill will have to be taught. He also tends to be a little over-aggressive at times, which could make him susceptible to being beaten for a big play.

 

But the Giants’ defense hasn’t had a big-play, impact safety in ages and Spagnuolo really wants one for his scheme. The Giants, from what I’ve been told, have been eyeing Phillips since the combine. And if he’s there, he’s their man.

 

• Phillips was a guest on Sirius NFL Radio last night with me and Gil Brandt. He’s mentioned the Giants’ interest in him in radio interviews before, but not this time. Asked who he thought might take him, he named two possible teams - the Carolina Panthers and the Baltimore Ravens.

 

The Ravens have the 8th pick of the first round and the Panthers have the 13th, and it would be a pretty big shock if Phillips went that high. So if he’s right, they’re eyeing him in the second round (38th and 43rd respectively) which is another indication he could still be there at 31.

 

• What if Phillips is not there at 31? I don’t believe the Giants see any other safeties as being worthy of a first-round pick (most scouts agree), so if Phillips is gone they’ll go in another direction. Most likely, that would be Tennessee linebacker Jerod Mayo, a 6-1, 237-pounder who has played mostly inside but might be able to move outside in the NFL. He’s tough and aggressive and very good in coverage, but he should fit well into Spagnuolo’s scheme. He’s also an outstanding special teams player, which the Giants love.

 

What if Phillips and Mayo are both gone? I could see them trading down. They might also consider Arizona corner Antoine Cason if he’s available, but I don’t think they want to do that. There are some defensive tackles they like, but I’d be surprised if they took one in the first round. Glenn Dorsey and Sedrick Ellis obviously aren’t falling that far and anyone else would be quite a reach.

 

They’re much more likely to address that position in the second or third round. One surprising name to watch: Arkansas’ Marcus Harrison, a 6-2, 312-pounder with a drug arrest on his resume.

 

***

 

One other prediction for the draft: Jeremy Shockey will not be traded.

 

It’s not that the Giants aren’t willing, it’s that from what I can tell the bidding just won’t get high enough. They have had at least three inquiries they considered serious - from the Saints, the Seahawks, and one other team I haven’t quite figured out yet (I thought it was Atlanta, but I’m honestly not sure). The best offer was from the Saints - a second-round pick. But the Giants countered asking for that pick and safety Roman Harper, which one NFL source said “absolutely isn’t going to happen.”

 

The Saints remain interested and there’s certainly a possibility the Giants could lower their demands enough to make a deal. As for the Seahawks, despite their denials several NFL sources insist they were interested in Shockey and did approach the Giants about a deal, but given the Giants’ demands they’ve decided to address their need for a tight end in the draft instead.

 

One word of caution: There are still people in the Giants’ organization who think he’ll be an ex-Giant by Saturday night. But that would take a change in the current landscape. Either the Giants drop their demands or the bidding takes off, neither of which seems likely at the moment.

 

***

 

Tomorrow: My mockery of a Mock Draft.

 

Saturday: Ohm Youngmisuk’s live running Draft Day blog, with continuous contributions from Rich Cimini out at Hofstra and from me deep inside Giants Stadium.

 

I was also hoping to have some news for you later today because Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora were scheduled to appear in Central Park for the NFL Play 60 Youth Football Festival, which is part of crappy shoes from spammers’s Let Me Play program. However, the breaking news I have for you at the moment is that Strahan backed out at the last minute.

 

For the moment, Umenyiora is still scheduled to appear so perhaps there’s a chance for some news later, after all.

 

[Guest Chappy]

 

 

 

 

Read the same thing and popsted it about 20 minutes ago here-

 

http://forums.thehuddle.com/index.php?showtopic=245563