Giants Gab

LOL!

Andrew Ilnicki — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:08:56 +0000

Woody Johnson has stirred up quite a protest in the aftermath of the alleged “coin toss” that took place at the quite Lebowskian ‘League office’ on Friday… and he’s not ashamed to let it fly:

“An NFL coin toss has a few fundamental elements that are missing here, most notably the presence of the teams involved,” Johnson said. “That’s how it’s always done in the League, whether it’s determining the order of the draft or deciding who’s going to kick off the game. When the issue of which team would be hosting the first regular season game could not be resolved on the merits, I suggested a coin toss as the fairest way to resolve this issue. The League rejected that idea. Then, I was told on Friday that a coin toss had taken place at the League office and that the Jets had lost. We rejected a process in which neither team was present. The League departed from our time-honored tradition and declined the opportunity to set the matter straight with a transparent process.”

Woody Johnson, Owner, NY Jets

I don’t know whats funnier, the Seinfelf clip dredged up by Florio or the fact that it really DOES NOT MATTER who plays when…. only that each team WINS their home opener for their fans.

Via PFT

Giants Have Sunday, Jets Have Monday

Andrew Ilnicki — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:41:12 +0000

UPDATE:

“After extensive discussions with both teams, we have come up with what we believe is a unique approach for celebrating the opening of the new Meadowlands Stadium”

Commissioner Roger Goodell

The Jets, as part of their consolation prize, will also get the first actual game at the stadium – - a preseason contest in August.

/////

Isn’t sharing fun!?!

Both the NY Giants and Jets have something to celebrate today as the comish has handed down a final decision on debut of the new Meadowlands Stadium…. BOTH teams will debut the stadium on opening weekend.

The Giants will debut the new digs on Sunday, and the Jets will host the first ever Monday Night Football at the new stadium just one day later. Wait, is that still considered a slight to the Jets?

Back to square one…..

via the Daily News

Prospect Profiles LB Navorro Bowman (Penn State)

Jesse Bartolis — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:53:35 +0000

Taken From: http://blog.pennlive.com/pasports/2008/09/large_PSU%209%200920%20JRH.jpg.jpg

Video Highlights

Measurables

Born May 28th 1988. 6′1, 230 pounds. Junior.

4.72 40. 26 reps of 225 at the combine.

Stats (ESPN.com)

Career: 214 tackles, 2 FF, 3 INT 8 sacks.

2009: 93 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INT (10 games)

Big Games:

13 tackles vs Iowa

@ Michigan 11 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT

vs Ohio State 9 tackles

vs Indiana 12 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT

@ Michigan State 10 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed

LSU (Capital One Bowl Game) 9 tackles.

Bowman was very productive this year. 93 tackles in 10 games is a lot, he had one game with 5 tackles and then no other game with less than 7 tackles.

Scouting Reports

ESPN’s Scouts Inc

Production	3	2006: Redshirted. 2007: (9/0) 16 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 sack, 1 PBU, 1 FF. 2008: (13/10) 106 tackles, 16.5 TFL, 4 sacks, 1 INT, 5 PBU, 1 FR, 2 FF; First-team All-Big Ten.
Height-Weight-Speed	3	A bit undersized but has an excellent build along with above-average top-end speed.
Durability	2	Missed the 2007 Iowa and Wisconsin games after suffering a sprained ankle against Illinois. Limited by a groin injury during the first three games of 2009.
Intangibles	4	Pleaded guilty after being involved in an off-campus fight during the fall of 2007. Suspended from the team for the ensuing spring and placed on probation. Violated probation this past April and was sentenced to an additional 12 months on probation and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. Has suffered hardships off the field, including the passing of his father and high school coach in a six-month span.

Outside Linebacker specific Traits
Instincts/Recognition	2	Strong overall diagnostic skills. Finds and reacts to the ball and quickly fills downhill. Puts himself in good position to make plays and rarely takes false steps. Shows a good feel for sniffing out screens and draws. Can be overaggressive with his run fits and as a result is suscpetible to play-action at times.
Strength/Toughness	3	Not an area of strength. Appears to have good upper-body strength but his narrow frame brings up concerns about his point-of-attack skills. Can be engulfed by bigger offensive lineman when caught in phone booth situations. Does not shy away from contact, though, and has a high motor and consistently finishes plays to the whistle.
Range vs. Run	1	Possesses sideline-to-sideline range. Displays strong change-of-direction skills. Closing burst is exceptional and he rarely allows running backs to turn the corner to his side of defense. Also takes good angles to the ball and wades through trash well in pursuit.
Tackling	2	Reliable wrap-up tackler. Doesn’t consistently run through tackles but flashes ability to deliver violent and explosive strike. Does a good job of breaking down in the open field and securing the tackle.
3rd Down Capabilities	2	Excels in coverage. Shows good awareness in zone and does a nice job of locating and getting into underneath throwing lanes. Shows the ability to match up and run with tight ends and backs in man coverage. Ball skills are above-average. Not much of a pass rusher at this point. Does not time up blitzes well and lacks adequate power to run though blockers.

Draftace.com

Strengths:
An elite natural athlete. Has the speed to make plays in pursuit. Has the speed and agility to stay with most tight ends in coverage. Looks good in zone coverage; does a nice job reading the quarterback. A fundamentally sound tackler that can also deliver the big hit.
Weaknesses:
Slightly undersized for most systems. Best suited for outside linebacker in a 4-3 defense; specifically a Tampa-2 which limits his options. Missed time with an ankle injury in 2007. Missed 3 games with a groin injury in 2009. Also time as a senior in high school with a shoulder injury. Serious character concerns. Suspended during the 2008 offseason for his role in a fight on campus.
Comments:
Bowman has a specific skill set that will make him very attractive to certain teams. However, his lack of height and overall bulk make a bad fit for anyone that runs a 3-4 defense. On top of that, his history of nagging injuries and off-field issues are sure to scare away some teams. He has the skills of a potential 1st-round pick, but he could easily fall as low as the 3rd round.

CBS NFL Draft Scout

2010 NFL DRAFT SCOUT PRE-COMBINE TOP 64: 50. *Navorro Bowman ??? OLB, Penn State, 6-1, 232, 2: Shows the instincts, quickness and ability that qualify him as an excellent, albeit short, pro linebacker candidate. But off-field issues have been a concern as he was suspended for two games and received one year of probation and 100 hours of community service after a fight in October 2007 and then received another year of probation for violating the terms of the original sentence. – Frank Cooney, USA TODAY/NFL Draft Scout

02/17/2010 – PRO POTENTIAL: LB Navorro Bowman – Linebacker U has produced some standout players during the past decade, but Bowman could become Penn State’s first first-round selection at the position since mentor LaVar Arrington in 2000. Always around the ball and solid in pass coverage, he could improve his stock with a solid showing at the NFL Combine

Bowman missed most of his senior season in high school with a shoulder injury, but that didn’t prevent coach Joe Paterno from seeking out the Maryland all-state pick as a junior (165 tackles, 1,200 yards rushing, 22 touchdowns). Four years later (including a redshirt season in 2006), Bowden has opted to leave for the NFL with one year of eligibility remaining.Bowman played in nine games as a redshirt freshman in 2007, missing three contests with an ankle sprain, and earned more playing time as the season progressed (16 tackles, 2.5 for loss, sack, forced fumble, blocked kick).Bowman didn’t start until the fifth game in the ‘08 season. He was named first-team All-Big Ten, leading the team with 106 tackles, including 16.5 for loss and four sacks. He was named first-team all-conference again after the 2009 season, making 93 tackles, 17 for loss, and two sacks, even after missing three games and having limited effectiveness at times because of a groin injury. He also displayed excellent coverage skills over the past two seasons (three interceptions, 10 pass breakups).Off-field issues have prevented Bowman from reaching his full potential. He was suspended two games and received one year probation and 100 hours of community service after helping teammate Chris Baker beat up a man during a party in October 2007. Bowman received another year of probation after violating the terms of the original sentence by admitting he had done none of the 100 hours of service and smoked marijuana.On the field, few players in this draft come downhill faster and explode into their tackles as well as Bowman. Even fewer have gone through the adversity Bowman has over the past three years. If given a clean bill of health by doctors and strong recommendation by his Penn State coaches, a team might look past his lack of height, troubled past and injury history to select him in the early rounds of the draft.

Analysis

Read & React: Smart, with a great nose for the ball. Reacts quickly to inside or stretch runs, recognizes misdirection plays and screens, and collapses on receivers in a hurry when dropped into coverage. Will bite on play-action at times because of his aggressive nature and quickness.Run defense: Excellent chase and hustle against the run, closes on the ball quickly from sideline-to-sideline. Changes direction well, breaks down in space and attacks the ball. Attacks run plays so fast it looks as though he’s on a run blitz even when that’s not the case. Knifes through traffic and sidesteps fullback blocks inside as well as any linebacker in the draft. Flows through trash and finds the ball when lined up between the tackles. Has the upper-body strength to punch and prevent a lineman latching onto him in space, but must become more consistent getting off tight end blocks on the line and at the second level. Gets engulfed by better tackles at the point of attack.Pass defense: Cognizant defender in zone coverage. Quick and fluid in his drop — gets deep enough to prevent first downs. Gives up no extra yardage when receivers catch a ball in his area or when he sniffs out a screen. Good hands for the interception and can make a play after the catch with fine speed, vision and elusiveness for a defensive player. Can leap to knock down passes to receivers behind him or when rushing the quarterback. Runs with receivers and tight ends down the seam, although his lack of height puts him at a disadvantage.Tackling: Rare tackling ability in space. Breaks down and is extremely difficult to elude once he’s in the area. Drops his hips and plants the ballcarrier whenever possible. Strong arms and hands. Creates turnovers by getting his hands on the ball or wrapping arms around the ballcarrier. Uses hustle and aggression to overcome his limited reach.Pass Rush/Blitz: Tough to stop when coming off the edge because of his closing speed, flexibility to turn the corner and determination. Agile enough to avoid running back and tight end blocks when blitzing and is capable of bull rushing or powering through the shoulder of interior linemen up the middle. Hits with a purpose when he sniffs out a quarterback rollout or bootleg.Intangibles: Missed three games with a groin injury in 2009. Well-liked teammate with a high football IQ. Character concerns could hurt his draft stock. Lost his father (blood clot) and high school coach (car accident) within about six months during the 2008 season. Father of Navorro, Jr., born in the summer of 2009. Graduated in December with a degree in Crime, Law and Justice.

2009: Missed three games with a groin injury.

2007: Missed three games with an ankle injury.

Big Board Rankings

CBS Draft Scout 106

Draft Board Insider 55

New Era Scouting 75

ESPN Scouts Inc 48

Fantasy Football Toolbox 48

Drafttek.com 43

Where the Mocks Have him Falling

Walterfootball.com 2nd round pick #64 New Orleans Saints

Matt McGuire (walterfootball.com) 2nd round pick #64 New Orleans Saints

Drafttek.com 2nd round pick #64 New Orleans Saints

Well, here’s a consensus.

Bartolis Summary and Final Verdict

Navorro Bowman is a produtive linebacker at a Big time college program who has good athletisicm. Bowman is most likely to play outside linebacker in the N.F.L. becuase he can get after the quarterback and he is not a big bruising run defender.

Bowman also has had more than one “character concern incidents” which might hurt his stock.

Bowman is a good Football player with good athletic ability and should be successful in the N.F.L.

Bartolis Final Verdict

I like Bowman’s game. He’s definitely talented, right after the College Football Season ESPN Scouts INC had him ranked in the top 32 on their big Board his value has slipped a little bit since then but he’s still a good player.

Bowman would be a steal if he is available in the third round, and he’d be an interesting pick in the second round, although it might be a bit of a reach because of some of his off the field behaviors and the fact that he’s missed six games the past two seasons becuase of injuries.

Previous Prospect Profiles

Athlete Dexter McCluster

CB Joe Haden

S Nate Allen

Jason Pierre Paul

DT Geno Atkins

DT Lamarr Houston

RB Jahvid Best

OT Trent Williams

Derrick Morgan

OL Mike Iupati

S Chad Jones

OLB/DE Sergio Kindle

Sean Weatherspoon

ILB Sean Lee

S Eric Berry

OT Bruce Campbell

ILB Daryl Washington

DT/NT Dan Williams (Updated with K.C. Joyner’s Draft Lab 2/7)

CB Kyle Wilson

DT Jared Odrick

DE Carlos Dunlap

ILB Micah Johnson

DT Arthur Jones

OT Bryan Baluga

OT Anthony Davis (UPDATED 2/5/10)

DT Brian Price

ILB Brandon Spikes

S Earl Thomas

ILB Rolando McClain

RB C.J. Spiller

S Taylor Mays

Giants Offseason Workouts Begin Today:

Mark Picucci — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:00:11 +0000

The Unofficial Giants’ 2010 season begins today.

Well the actual season itself doesn’t start and there won’t be any organized football-related workouts. But the hard work required in surviving a full NFL season starts today with the opening of offseason workouts.

The workouts are kind of voluntary. Disciplinarian Tom Coughlin strongly believes every player should be there as much as possible, and he often talks about the attendance rate at the end of the spring when that percentage is high enough for his liking. Plus, every member of the roster has some kind of workout bonus in his contract, so it makes financial sense to attend.

Former Backup QB David Carr May Start As 49er

Andrew Ilnicki — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:53:29 +0000

Current starting QB for the San Francisco 49ers Alex Smith should be worried about retaining that status — because changes are a comin’. Former backup for the Niners Shaun Hill was recently traded to Detroit at the same time Carr’s ink was drying on his new contract.

This series of transactions leads many to believe that David Carr may finally get his job as starting QB back after a few seasons of serving as backup in Carolina and New York.

Giants fans remember the many glimpses of greatness from Carr, and behind a decent offensive line that can actually keep him on his feet longer than 3 seconds, Carr may be the next Jeff Garcia… a guy everyone forgot about but who steps into the limelight and transforms his team to one worthy of making the playoffs, especially when everyone else for whatever reason never game him a second chance.

He has been the ideal backup QB for the Giants, a very capable and talented player who wants that shot to take the wheel each and every game. A guy that can step in, understands the offense — and who can execute on the same level as your starting QB. Sometimes even more so.

David Carr will be missed in NY, but we wish him well out west – hopefully he gets the chance to start, and start anew.

DJ Ware Signs His Tender

Andrew Ilnicki — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:21:48 +0000

Via PFT – look how they chose to sum this one up:

Players designated as exclusive-rights free agents can hardly even be described as free agents at all, seeing as they have zero opportunity to shop themselves around. Ultimately, exclusive-rights free agents are basically stuck with signing their tender offers, and that’s what one such player, Giants running back Danny “DJ” Ware, has done.

A league source tells PFT that Ware signed his tender today. Ware is a three-year veteran who started to get a little bit of playing time in 2009, picking up 73 yards on 13 carries and scoring the Giants’ only touchdown in their debacle of a season finale, a 44-7 loss to the Vikings.

Now, this might be splitting hairs but when I think of the word veteran – DJ Ware is not the guy that comes to mind. These guys are Giants veterans in my humble opinion:

Don’t misunderstand — I like Danny Ware, but he has so little playing time and has so much room to grow that I think the term veteran in this case is borderline misused to describe his role on the team. Can you say 3rd year rookie and not have it sound bad?

Forgive me if this comes off as insulting — not my intention. I guess I’m trying to hard too make this tid-bitty piece of “news” worthy of the title “news”. Its more of a language objection than anything… but … oh well.

Mission aborted. Good day, all.

Do You Care If Giants Play First?

Andrew Ilnicki — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:55:04 +0000

Here’s the question of the hour. As Giants fans looking forward to the start of the new 2010 season:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Giants Win “Coin Toss”

Andrew Ilnicki — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:51:30 +0000

According to PFT, Jets Owner Woody Johnson is outraged that the Giants, not the Jets, will be scheduled to open the new stadium with the first game of the year honors.

Who can say if a “coin toss” is actually what determined this decision, or even if a decision has been made at this point. As far as I can tell, no final schedule has been posted anywhere. Until that happens — it’s all speculation. Which is why this is going to be filed in the “Rumor” section because it’s just a short step up from “Conspiracy Theory”.

GiantsGab March Madness!

Jeremy Fuchs — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:01:02 +0000

March Madness is here! Well, Thursday, but you can fill our your brackets starting today. With that in mind, we’re starting the first ever GiantsGab March Madness pool! No money, winner gets major bragging rights (I’d do money, but it’s such a hassle, and it’s just easier this way).

It’s a Yahoo! group. The group ID 72693. The password is GiantsGab. Hope to see you all there!

Giants and Jets to Flip a Coin to See who plays First Home Field Game

Jesse Bartolis — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:37:59 +0000

My man Andrew has just added some new features to the blog to help us get even more out of this site. We know will be able to post videos directly into the posts and we can also insert poll questions (something I have definitely wanted to use before) so that’s good to have.

Speaking of polls Andrew posted one earlier about whether or not the Giants should have signed Antre Rolle and so far 39 out of 40 votes say, Yes!

And I agree.

Nick Collins, the Green Bay Safety, just got a three year contract worth 3 years and 23.4 million dollars (which is 7.8 million dollars a year). Green Bay’s General Manager Ted Thompson is very conservative so if Nick Collins ( a very fine young player) is worth 7.8 million dollars a year for the team he is already on then I think Antrel Rolle’s contract worth 7.4 million dollars a year is definitely fair as far as I’m concerned.

The ONLY thing I’m worried about is Cap Space if they cap comes back NEXT year because Eli has a big contract, Rolle, Canty. The Giants are definitely paying some players so that might be an issue later, but if there is no Salary Cap I have no qualms at all.

And now onto the story:

From profootballtalk.com

Coin toss to determine whether Jets or Giants get dibs on first game at new digs

Posted by Mike Florio on March 13, 2010 8:20 PM ETSo with a brand new stadium opening soon in New York Jersey and two teams sharing it and no NFL equivalent of calling shotgun, the Jets and the Giants needed to come up with a way to determine who’ll play the first home game there.

And in this age of high technology, they have resorted to a decidedly low tech device.

Flipping a coin.

Per the Jets’ official web site, the league has said that a heads-tails contest will be used to decide who’ll get the right to christen the new venue. The Jets, according to the report, have presented a plan for the flip to be held in the coming week.

The need to do it soon; the league will be unveiling the 2010 schedule in April.

The fact that a decision has yet to be made likely means that neither team will be hosting a prime-time event there in Week One. If history holds, the games played under the lights during the first weekend of action will be announced during the annual league meeting that opens on March 21.

We’ll post on the outcome once the coin toss occurs; hopefully, there won’t be any interference.