Big Blue View

Sunday Open Thread

2012-05-27T15:01:09Z

Here is an open thread for your Memorial Day Weekend Sunday. The Indy 500 is today. Use this thread to chat about that, or anything else in the world of sports. Oh, and get away from the computer and go enjoy a beautiful day.

New York Giants OTAs Retrospective: Did We Learn Anything?

2012-05-27T13:34:48Z

Here are three things we learned last week during the New York Giants OTAs.

Injuries will happen regardless of how soft Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to make practices for NFL teams. Witness the torn ACL of Brian Witherspoon and the broken foot of Hakeem Nicks, both suffered in non-competitive drills.
David Diehl will play right tackle and Kevin Boothe will begin as the starting left guard. Maybe Mitch Petrus can take that spot away from Boothe, but installing Boothe in that spot is typical of the Giants. Tom Coughlin is nothing if not loyal to players who are successful for him.
Running back might be the most interesting position to watch unfold throughout the preseason. Ahmad Bradshaw and first-round pick David Wilson are locks. Fullback Henry Hynoski should also be a lock -- and might have a bigger role in the offense. But, the competition between DJ Ware, Da'Rel Scott, Andre Brown and Joe Martinek will be fun to watch as it unfolds.

Saturday Open Thread

2012-05-26T15:00:33Z

The Memorial Day holiday weekend has begun. If you need to talk sports, though, you can do it here. Use this as an Open Thread to chat about whatever is on your mind in relation to sports.

The New Jersey Devils reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, the upcoming Belmont Stakes, the Yankees or Mets, the NBA playoffs. Whatever you like. Enjoy!

New York Giants News And Notes: LT's Ring, Coughlin Ranked No. 1

2012-05-26T11:10:28Z

Even on a holiday weekend we are here for you with news about the New York Giants. So, here are your morning notes.

Sheen denies buying LT's Super Bowl ring - Yahoo! Sports
"As much as I would be honored to own such an important artifact ... I had nothing to do with the acquisition," Sheen said through rep Larry Solters, according to the New York Daily News.

Tom Coughlin No. 1 in coaches power rankings - NFL.com
Giants coach Tom Coughlin beat Patriots coach Bill Belichick in the Super Bowl so it's only fair that he stands alone at the top of the Sporting News' coach rankings.

A solution to the Hard Knocks dilemma - Yahoo! Sports
From Yahoo! Sports: HBO’s popular series should take a different approach to the 2012 season.

NFL, New Jersey could soon be at odds over gambling | ProFootballTalk
Three years ago, Delaware planned to introduce sports betting, including gambling on individual NFL games. The proposal prompted a lawsuit from the NFL and other sports leagues. Now, New Jersey wants to give it a try.

CB Bing, QB Perrilloux lean on experience

Farley's Friday Football Fodder

2012-05-25T19:18:01Z

Hey everyone....I can smell the holiday weekend, how about you? Hopefully I can get through this column without too many mentions of lawsuits, concussions and/or Giants injuries. Seriously though, why are the Giants cursed with the injury bug lately? Last season was one big infirmary, but it's not like we care now. But it's easy to think of how well we will do in 2012 with health, a strong playoff run and another ring--until Hakeem breaks his foot. And Brian Witherspoon blows out his knee--again. I guess we can only hope these are freak things and won't be the norm.

Remember a few weeks ago when former Giant Mark Collins said in our Where Are They Now series how he felt the NFL was a few rules short of becoming the Pro Bowl? Turns out former Steeler Greg Lloyd agrees. Here is what he said in an interview recently: "This is not PBS; it's not the public channel that you go watch. It's the National Football League; it's a violent freaking game." Well, yeah. And they are paid well to play it. But the commish has to walk a fine line between making the game "soft" and at times unwatchable, and all of the lawsuits with the potential of making the game disappear.

Well, there it is. I mentioned this ugly bit of the NFL again. What else is happening?

Well, if you're looking for Jon Kitna these days, he's teaching math in Tacoma. Apparently that's what Kitna always envisioned for himself--teaching math at his alma mater. But he wound up playing quarterback in the NFL pretty well for several years. But the best part of the article is when Kitna talks to a kid who is doing his weight-training sessions after class, and the kid is a ripped 135 pounds.

This "Fuel Up to Play 360" program is having legs. Here is an article about a kid in Wisconsin who was chosen as one of the "ambassadors" of the program, where he will educate other kids about healthy habits. And here is a story about some Broncos cheerleaders and the team mascot talking to some elementary school kids. You read that correctly. When asked about the difference between having Tim Tebow as the team QB and now having Peyton Manning, one cheerleader replied, "Tim Tebow was a very exciting quarterback and did a great job for the team last year, but he'll do very well wherever he goes. We're all very excited that Peyton Manning will be with us this year and we feel confident he'll be a great asset to the team this year." When asked the same question, the mascot replied, "Are you kidding me, skippy? He's Peyton Freaking Manning!"

Speaking of Manning, one of his former tight ends, Ben Utecht is an aspiring musician who also spoke recently about memory loss. Dang, there it is again.

So Jerry Jones thinks the window for the Cowboys to win another title is closing. Wow, there are so many things I want to say about that, but sometimes when you have a blank canvas, you can't think of anything. So please, fellas, insert your jokes in the comments section below.

Referee Ron Winter was appointed to the governor of Michigan's council on physical fitness. Really, Ron Winter? I think about guys like Ed Hochuli being in a role like that, not Winter. But good for him.

Plaxico Burress, remember that guy? He's having trouble landing a job these days. I wonder if he would make a good math teacher. Or maybe he could teach a concealed-aaaaaaaahhhhhh.......whew, that was close.

Kyle Williams thinks the botched plays in the NFC title game provide him with extra motivation now. Those botched plays provided Giants fans with something else extra--the chance to see Steve Weatherford exclaim "We're going to the bleeping Super Bowl!" (GIF please, Fester?)

Did Charlie Sheen buy Lawrence Taylor's Super Bowl ring last week? Wow, the jokes write themselves here too.

I know it's grilling season, but for some reason I have Frito Pie on my mind.

Many of you know I work in the music business. Today I received a press release for country artist Kip Moore about his current single reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country chart. The song is called "Somethin' 'Bout a Truck." No, I did not make that up, and I guess we have stereotypes for a reason.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone--and be safe if you're traveling or just driving.

Hakeem Nicks Injury: What Does It Mean For The New York Giants?

2012-05-25T13:01:09Z

How big of a deal is Hakeem Nicks' fractured foot to the New York Giants' prospects for the 2012 season? Well, that depends on who you ask, and how well Nicks recovers from the injury.

NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal wrote Thursday night that the Giants can survive Nicks' injury. FOX Sports Nancy Gay wrote that the injury could be costly to the Giants.

So, what is the truth? The truth is there is no way to know right now. Coach Tom Coughlin said Thursday that Nicks' return for the beginning of the regular season is "probably going to be close."

The Giants estimated Nicks' recovery time at 12 weeks, which would have him available to begin practicing again in mid-August. As Gay pointed out, though, Prince Amukamara had this same injury a year ago and his recovery took more like 15 weeks.

Something else to remember. Amukamara was playing by Week 11, but we now know that the foot remained an issue throughout the season. Why else would he have shown up at an offseason memorabilia show wearing a boot to promote further healing in the broken bone? Speaking of feet, we know that Ahmad Bradshaw's troubles with his feet never really go away.

The question really is not -- or should not be -- whether or not the Giants have the depth to overcome Nicks' injury. The Giants have Ramses Barden, Domenik Hixon, Jerrel Jernigan and second-round pick Rueben Randle and several promising undrafted free agents. They have plenty of players to get through the preseason, and the additional reps will help guys like Randle and Jernigan.

Even if Nicks is not ready at the beginning of the season the Giants should be OK in the short term, even though that means with Mario Manningham in San Francisco two thirds of last season's three-headed receiving monster is gone.

The question really isn't even when will Nicks be playing again? The question is when will Nicks be Nicks again? The Nicks-Victor Cruz tandem was so successful a season ago because when teams doubled one receiver the other would make them pay by having huge games.

Inevitably now, teams will double Cruz and see if Nicks has the ability to cut, the ability to separate, to push off that injured foot and make them pay for trying to take the salsa dance out of the Giants' offense.

How soon Nicks will be able to make defenses pay for that transgression is the real question. And, if he isn't ready to do it from Week 1 is there anyone else who can?

New York Giants News and Notes: Red, White and Big Blue Edition

2012-05-25T11:13:26Z

Good morning fellow Giants fans. It's Friday and it's a holiday weekend during the summer. It's not technically summer, but when they talk about canceling a marathon because of expected extreme heat here in Wisconsin, it's freaking summer. OTAs are coming to a close, and the biggest news is about Hakeem Nicks and his broken foot. The injury bug can't do this to us again, can it? Let's hope it's just a fluke. Meanwhile, here are some other bits of news, some of it patriotic, some just football....

Giants' Tom Coughlin hopeful Hakeem Nicks will be ready for season opener | NJ.com
"Well, it's probably going to be close. Hopefully, we will," Coughlin said today in an interview with NFL Network. "He feels very confident about it. The doctors have expressed it as something they feel will heal very, very well. Obviously, we've got to get about the business of healing right away."

I hope this isn't a Prince situation. That guy seemed to never be right last season after he returned.

Palladino: Giants’ Tom Coughlin Truly A Red, White, And Blue Coach " CBS New York
A long time ago, in a nation divided by the consequences of Vietnam, Tom Coughlin wrapped himself in the Red, White, and Blue of our flag and never loosened his hold. By Wednesday night, he had an award to go with that warm blanket of security so many others around the world covet, but find far beyond their grasp. Coughlin stood among five recipients of the "Outstanding Civilian Service Award," the Army’s third-highest award for a civilian, for his various activities involving outreach to the military.

Super Bowl champion New York Giants set to visit President Obama at White House June 8 - NY Daily News
The Giants have a date with President Obama. The Super Bowl champs will visit the White House on Friday, June 8, coach Tom Coughlin said after the team's organized training activities on Wednesday.

Eli Manning, New York Giants want to establish NFL dynasty | masslive.com
And this year, a seasoned Victor Cruz plans to embrace a new role that Tuck and Manning already have: leader. "It's a unique situation," Cruz said. "I'm one of the older guys now, and the younger players look up to you. I'd like to think I can make an impression on the younger guys that through seeing the things that I do, they can see that things will happen through hard work."

Eagles DE Brandon Graham: ‘I’m a bust’ - Sports News from USA Today
The Philadelphia Eagles drafted DE Brandon Graham 13th overall in 2010, two picks before their NFC East rivals, the New York Giants, grabbed DE Jason Pierre-Paul. Graham hopes to prove the Eagles didn’t commit a major mistake even though he has three career sacks in two injury-marred seasons while Pierre-Paul has blossomed into an all-pro force for the reigning champions.

I was wondering what happened to this guy, and if he was still on the Eagles. And I sure do appreciate them not taking JPP.

Reviewing the NFL's best torch-passing moments - NFL.com
This past season, however? The real title of "genius" needs to go to Giants coach Tom Coughlin. Twice now, he's defeated Belichick in Super Bowls. Twice, he's done it with a defensive style that kept the high-flying Patriots off the scoreboard, something no one else could do that season. Twice, he's done it with last-minute drives, turning the tables on a coach who's done that to everyone else for the last 10 years. Coughlin is a special kind of guy. I don't know that there's anyone who has his team more ready to play in all facets of the game than he does.

This was fun to read--that second ring really did a lot for TC, didn't it?

Rob Gronkowski-Aaron Hernandez among league's top 10 duos - NFL.com
Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks New York Giants WRs (two years together) In my opinion, this is currently the top receiver duo in the NFL. Both guys are complete receivers with an outstanding mix of size, explosiveness, reliable hands and elusiveness after the catch. Last season, they combined for 2,728 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns.

Ignore the headline here, I wanted you guys to see that Cruz/Nicks made this list, as well as Tuck/JPP.

Predicting the NFC East: Eagles Fly Away With the DivisionPhilly Sports Nut
The New York Giants took advantage of an inconsistent division and eventually went on to win the Super Bowl for the second time since 2008. As Eagles fans, were tired of hearing it.

And we are tired of hearing how great your team is with no championships in the Super Bowl era. I'm not saying your team isn't very good, or even that they wouldn't have made noise in the playoffs last year. I'm saying you should prove it on the field once and for all before spouting off like this.

Whew, that felt good. Now I can get on with my Friday and so can you guys.

New York Giants Hakeem Nicks Fractures Foot -- Will Miss 12 Weeks

2012-05-24T19:45:46Z

The injury bug has bitten the New York Giants -- hard -- during the first two days of OTAs. Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks will apparently be out until the middle of training camp after fracturing his foot this morning while running a pass route.

Giants announce WR Hakeem Nicks fractured his foot at OTAs and is out about 12 weeks. #nyg
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 24, 2012

Nicks fractured the fifth metatarsal of his right foot. He will undergo surgery on Friday to have a screw implanted in the foot.

On Wednesday cornerback Brian Witherspoon tore his ACL during the team's first OTA, the second straight year that happened to Witherspoon. Today he was waived/injured.

To replace Witherspoon on the roster the Giants signed defensive back Dante Hughes, a six-year veteran who tried out for the team at the rookie mini-camp a couple of weeks ago. Hughes, 5-foot-10 and 186 pounds, spent his first two NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and the last three with the San Diego Chargers. He has played in 53 regular-season games with two starts