Category: Dailies
Jets, Giants have receiver fever on draft day
With the 2009 NFL Draft finally coming this weekend, the two New York teams share a similar need that they will address in the early rounds on Saturday. Both the Jets and the Giants released their best receivers during this offseason and will be looking for playmakers that can upgrade their offenses.
The Giants may end up getting that receiver before they make their first round selection because it has been rumored for weeks that they have an interest in Braylon Edwards. He is only 27 and has the downfield presence that the Giants need. Now it’s no secret that Eric Mangini doesn’t want him on the team, and he has no intention of resigning with Cleveland after this season, but the Browns would be foolish not to ask for a good return in exchange. I’m guessing it will cost the Giants a first- and a third-round pick, and if they really do want him, they will get him. Jerry Reese is a very aggressive GM much the way that Ernie Accorsi was, and he has no problem being aggressive with trades. Anquan Boldin remains a possibility here too, and the Cardinals have already said they would want a #1 and #3 in return.
If a trade for Edwards or Boldin does not happen, then look for the Giants to still be aggressive in the first round and move up to get a player that they covet. Possibilities include any of the top receivers — like Percy Harvin, Hakeem Nicks or even Jeremy Maclin — or a linebacker. They will also look to get some depth at offensive line and in the defensive backfield. My guess is that the trade for Edwards will happen if the Browns take Michael Crabtree early in the first round
Unless the Jets end up making a trade for a veteran wide receiver they will take one in the early rounds as well. They have also been mentioned as one of the landing spots for Mark Sanchez, but it would require a trade to move up to get him. Rex Ryan is an aggressive defensive mind, so don’t be surprised to see them take some playmakers on that side of the ball. They also have a need for some depth on the O-line and running back.
Some interesting names that Jet fans should watch for are Chris Wells and Knowshon Moreno. Thomas Jones had a good season, but the Jets maybe looking for a future starting running back and Wells and Moreno could add some fresh legs to go with Leon Washington. Another interesting possibility for the Jets is Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman who might be there when the Jets are on the clock.
Will Braylon or Boldin wear Blue?
Since the Giants decided to say goodbye to Plaxico Burress there have been many trade rumors about Braylon Edwards coming to New Jersey. I have stated in past blogs that I think it would be a good move for the Giants to acquire Edwards but it would eventually come down to what the Browns are seeking in return. The Giants have many draft picks to work with and they probably are going to make some sort of draft-day move because they do not have room on the roster for all 10 picks. My guess is that if the Giants really do want Edwards the two teams will work out a deal.
The other two receivers who also have been mentioned in rumors are Anquan Boldin and Chad Johnson. As of today, the Cardinals have officially put Boldin on the trading block and are listening to offers. My guess is that his asking price will be high, but it does, however, give the Giants better leverage if they choose to go after Edwards if the Browns do indeed plan to trade him. Who knows, maybe Boldin is the guy that the Giants are targeting all along and Edwards is the smokescreen?
Speaking of smokescreens, I really hope that the Johnson rumors are just that. Why would the Giants want to give themselves another headache when they just ridded themselves of one? I just cannot see Ocho Cinco and General Coughlin co-existing with each other.
Both Boldin and Edwards would be good fits for the Giants and if Jerry Reese really wants one of them, he will make it happen. The Giants are a young, talented team, and both receivers are young and have an upside, so I would not be surprised if the Giants offered multiple picks for either player.
Giants forced to play waiting game with Burress
March 31 has come and gone, and the Giants still have no answers on the status of their star wide receiver.
Plaxico Burress’ case has been adjourned until June 15 and the Giants will be forced to make a decision soon, because it looks more likely that Burress will not be participating in the 2009 season.
The Giants have made it clear the last couple of weeks that they would indeed welcome Burress back to the team if and when he clears all of his legal hurdles, but the problem is that they know that they can not afford to go into the upcoming season without having a clear cut No. 1 wide receiver. All of the receivers on the Giants roster are young and have a good upside, but none of them can command the double coverage that Burress does. Domenik Hixon is a good receiver and has shown flashes of his physical skills, Steve Smith is a very good third-down possession receiver, Sinorice Moss is quick but inconsistent, David Tyree is coming off an injury and Mario Manningham has talent but is young and unproven. In the next couple of weeks it will be crucial for the Giants to address this situation whether it is through the draft or a trade.
It would be easy for me to say that they should just make a trade for a star wideout like Braylon Edwards or Anquan Boldin, but I don’t know what the price would be for either. Boldin has been in contract negotiations with Arizona for two months now and every day the story seems to change about his trade status. We did, however, hear whispers that the Giants inquired about Edwards, but I don’t think a move for anyone would be made until we’re closer to the draft. The Giants have shown no interest in Torry Holt, or any free agent receiver for that matter, so it will basically come down to a choice between a trade or a high draft pick to fill the position.
I see the Giants using one their first two draft picks on a receiver, but I would only be guessing if I said who it will be, so I’ll leave that up to Mel Kiper Jr. and the other draft gurus to debate. In my opinion, both Boldin and Edwards would be a better option than an unproven draft pick because they are still young and have shown that they can play at a Pro Bowl level. The bottom line is that this is a tough situation for the Giants because Burress is such a hard player to replace and his destiny is out of his own hands.
Jets, Giants make waves in free agency
Both the Jets and the Giants were very active over the weekend, entertaining and signing key players.
The Jets started off the first day of free agency by making a huge offer to Ravens linebacker Bart Scott and bringing Rex Ryan’s pupil in Baltimore on board. Nicknamed The Mad Backer, Scott is a three-year starter and was a Pro Bowler in 2006 and at only 28 years old he still has some good years ahead of him. I think the Jets were determined to bring in either him or Ray Lewis so that they could provide the locker room presence Ryan desires. The Jets are better off with Scott because he is younger and has a bigger upside than Lewis (34 in May) would bring at his age.
The Jets’ other notable moves were acquiring cornerback Lito Sheppard in a trade that sent two draft picks to the Eagles and signing another former Ravens starter, safety Jim Leonhard. Another Ryan favorite, Leonhard had 69 tackles and returned one interception for a touchdown while playing in all 16 games. Sheppard is a former Pro Bowler and is expected to step into the starting lineup opposite Darrelle Revis.
Furthermore, the Jets re-signed guard Brandon Moore and fullback Tony Richardson while reworking Laveranues Coles’ contract so he could become a free agent and leave the team. But the interesting thing is that thus far the Jets have shown no interest in acquiring a veteran quarterback, leaving us to believe that they would be willing to stick with either Kellen Clemens or Brett Ratliff as the starter. It will be interesting to see if the Jets make any move for Jay Cutler, Mark Bulger or Derek Anderson who all are considered tradable players right now.
The Giants were also very active. Linebacker Michael Boley comes from the Atlanta Falcons and was a guy who the Giants really wanted to play the weak side linebacker position. They needed a linebacker who could drop back in coverage and Boley provides the athleticism and versatility to do so.
Rocky Bernard is a quick and athletic defensive tackle who causes problems for interior lineman in pass protection. Chris Canty is a very tall defensive lineman with long arms and legs much like Justin Tuck. The former Cowboy was a defensive end with Dallas but the Giants play a 4-3 defense and he will primarily be used as a tackle. He plays the run very well and is an improving pass rusher who can push the pocket. The Giants were very impressed by his play in the past two years when they have faced Dallas.
There are still some more areas that the Giants will need to address like safety and wide receiver but I was very happy with all three of these signings because it will give the Giants the rotation on the defensive line which was the key to them winning the Super Bowl. Down the stretch of last year is when they really felt the absence of Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan, and were not able to rotate the fresh bodies that they had two years ago. When Ernie Accorsi was the Giants’ general manager he would say that you could never have enough pass rushers on a defense and it looks as if Jerry Reese has the same beliefs.
A very perplaxing situation
With the start of free agency beginning later this week the New York Giants find themselves in a very odd situation concerning the wide receiver position. Plaxico Burress is one of the most talented receivers in football and the most important part of the Giants offense, but because of his legal problems the future is much clouded for him right now. This presents a very tough decision for the Giants in the upcoming weeks, so here are some of their choices.
Sign a free agent
This years crop of good receivers is slim, very slim in fact the only one that is really worth pursuing is T.J. Houshmandzadeh. He can be a No. 1 receiver and played very well last season with a bad team and a backup quarterback. The only problem is that I think he is more of a possession type receiver in the mold of an Amani Toomer rather than a game breaker like Burress. Some other names to consider are Nate Washington, Devery Henderson, Reggie Williams, or some recent cuts like Marvin Harrison or Jerry Porter may be options.
Trade for Anquan Boldin
I know that it’s a long shot but it is worth looking into because Boldin is young, explosive and will be eager to prove that he is a No. 1 receiver. It will probably require multiple draft picks in order to get him but he would be much more effective than any receiver the Giants would draft in those two rounds. Furthermore, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham and Domenik Hixon are all young and would provide a great supporting cast for years to come.
Draft a receiver
Some of the names that have been mentioned are Jeremy Maclin, Percy Harvin and Hakim Nicks. But the class of the draft this season is Michael Crabtree, who is considered by many to be the best overall player as well. The Giants will certainly have to trade up to a top five pick if they were to have any chance at him.
Wait it out with Burress
This may be the most risky of the four options because of the fact that the Giants will not know his fate until the end of March. There is a good chance that he will serve some kind of jail time or probation, not to mention the suspension that the NFL may give him. This is a tough pill for the Giants to swallow, especially if they want to be competitive next season because they are dealing with a situation that they cannot control. However they also gave him a new contract last season, so they may indeed decide to wait it out and hope for a quick resolution.
I would love to see Burress back on the team because the bottom line is that when he is on the field he gives the Giants the best chance to win; we all saw how it impacted the team late last season and how he helped them win the Super Bowl. But will the Giants hold steady rather than pursue another receiver? It is a tough situation and maybe by the end of the week we’ll see what direction they will be taking.
QB or not QB? That’s the Jets’ question
Now that Brett Favre has decided to retire, the Jets can make a decision on who will compete to be their starting quarterback for the upcoming season. Rex Ryan knew that he did not walk into a rebuilding situation. This is clearly a win-now team, and Jets fans will not have the patience for them to develop a new quarterback, so it will be interesting to see what they do in the coming weeks to address the position.
There are three ways in which they can address the situation.
? Stick with what they have — The Jets may think that either Kellen Clemens or Brett Ratliff could indeed be the answer. They seem to be very high on Ratliff; he showed some good things during the preseason, but really, how much can we tell about someone in games against backups and third stringers? At only 24, he is considered to be a bright young quarterback, and if successful, he could be the starter for years to come. He is, however, a free agent, but I don’t think it will take a lot of money to retain him, so he should be one of the quarterbacks that they bring to camp this summer.
Clemens, on the other hand, had a chance to show what he had two years ago, and I think that if the Jet’s were satisfied with his performance, they would not have traded for Favre in the first place. So, my feeling is that if they were to stick with both of their current quarterbacks, Ratliff would be the favorite to start.
? Draft a young quarterback — I don’t know how happy Jets fans would be with this move, but keep in mind where Rex Ryan came from, and look at the success that the Ravens had this past season with Joe Flacco.
Matt Stafford and Mark Sanchez are considered the two top quarterbacks this year, and if the Jets want either of them, it will probably require a trade in the draft. This would also be a surprise move to me considering that the Jets have so much invested in the next couple of years, and we can’t expect all first round quarterbacks to have the success that Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco had last season.
? Bring in a veteran — If the Jets think that they do indeed have a championship-caliber team, they may bring in a veteran that could bring them instant satisfaction like Favre did last season. Kurt Warner and Kerry Collins are two guys who had great seasons this past year, and if they are not retained by their current teams, they could be considered. Warner showed that he can still lead a team to the playoffs but it has to be the right situation, and Collins had great success with the Giants and proved that he could throw in the windy Meadowlands. Some other names to keep in mind are Byron Leftwich and Jeff Garcia, and don’t forget Kyle Boller, who Ryan knows very well from his days in Baltimore.
My opinion is that Jets should go after either Marc Bulger or Derek Anderson, neither of which are free agents but are very attainable. Anderson showed that he could start in this league, and I saw him light up the Giants last year in the Monday night game. He has also been a victim of many dropped passes and is now the backup behind Brady Quinn. The Browns do not want to pay two quarterbacks starter money, so I think that they would want to move him. The only problem here is that Eric Mangini is now the coach of the Browns and would not be too eager to do business with the Jets. Bulger, on the other hand, may be released by the Rams and wouldn’t require any compensation. He has proved that he could start in the league and is still young enough to build around.
As free agency begins at the end of the month, it will be interesting to see which way the Jets will go with their thought process.
The Brett Favre situation
It is now the middle of February and the Jets have not played football in almost six weeks. Rex Ryan was hired three weeks ago and with him comes a new vision and a new attitude that the Jets will have this upcoming season. So while the focus with the team is clearly on the future rather than the past, there appears to be one big obstacle in the way of their plans.
“Brett the Jet” (everyone remember that headline at the end of last summer) or is it “Brett Maybe the Jet,” which is better term to describe the relationship with him and the team right now. I’m not even a Jets fan and I’m so fed up with Brett Favre and the whole situation he has put the Jets in this offseason.
My feeling all along is that Favre has been purposely dragging his feet so the Jets have no choice but to cut him so they can move ahead. He didn’t want to come here last season and since he’s seen the two faces of the New York fans and media, he wants no part of playing under the microscope at this point in his career. Last year he wanted to go to Minnesota, but because they are divisional rivals of the Packers, that could not have happened. The Jets can’t trade him there because there is a clause in the agreement which states that New York would have to give up a first round draft pick. But if they cut him, he is free to go wherever he wants. Why the Vikings would want Favre is beyond me, but I guess that even at his age he is an upgrade over Tavaris Jackson. The bottom line is that I am neither a Favre fan nor hater. I just think that he owes it to the Jets to make a decision so they can move on and focus on the upcoming season.
Look I know Favre is a former MVP, Super Bowl champion and all-around great player, but notice how I said former. This is not the same player who led the Packers to all of those playoff appearances and while doing so became one of the most well-liked players to ever wear a uniform. This is a man who is a very average quarterback right now and for him to think that he is so above the game these past two seasons is an absolute joke.
I place no blame on the Packers for what happened during last offseason; they waited patiently while he took his time (really took his time) and made up his mind to retire. The first few weeks of an offseason is a very crucial time for an organization to know what they need to do to address the upcoming campaign and replacing the starting quarterback position is the most important decision for any team. It involves so much off the field preparation that the quarterbacks themselves are relieved when it is over and they can begin throwing in minicamp.
I have no problem with someone deciding to retire and than changing their mind like Michael Jordan. (Really folks, did any of us think he was not coming back?) My problem is that Favre thought that just because he was ready to come back, the Packers would welcome him as their starting quarterback with open arms. Favre has been around the game long enough to know that training camp is not the start of the season. There are offseason conditioning programs, minicamps and film sessions, especially with the quarterback position. It was also a tough public relations situation for the Packers because of his legendary status there, so I really respect the way that they handled it.
I hoped that Favre would have been more considerate to his new team, knowing that he played so poorly down the stretch and there is a new coach in place with new ideas and plans for the team. Ryan is in a tough spot right now because in these upcoming weeks before free agency and the combines, a head coach needs to know about his options at the quarterback position, and there is no Aaron Rodgers waiting in the wings to become the new starter. Ryan said at his press conference that he would like to have Favre back, and right now I don’t think the Jets believe that Kellen Clemens or Brett Ratliff are the answers. But unfortunately at this point they really can’t make any kind of a move in free agency for a starting quarterback until they know Favre’s status.
How a Giant loss led to a Super win
The Super Bowl smoke has finally cleared and after a fun and exhausting fourth quarter, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the first team to capture a sixth Lombardi trophy.
As the final score indicated, Pittsburgh was obviously the better team on Sunday, which shouldn’t have surprised anybody. As I said repeatedly on my Football NYC Web cast, the Steelers were the better team all season long; they were dominant in their division and played tough in all four of their losses. On Sunday, the keys to them winning the game were the same reasons they were there in the first place.
A) Defense, Defense, Defense – All season long, the Steelers were the top defense in the NFL, led by two of the best playmakers in the league with Troy Polamalu and the defensive player of the year James Harrison, who made one of the biggest plays in Super Bowl history.
B) Follow Your Leader – Big Ben is really starting to remind me of John Elway. I’m impressed by his never-say-die attitude and mental toughness; plus it’s nearly impossible not to say “wow” when he’s making plays out of the pocket, which we saw a couple of times on Sunday. He has two Lombardi trophies so far in his short career and has clearly established himself as a man that you would want to lead your team if the odds were stacked against you.
C) Mental Toughness – The Steelers never complained about having the toughest schedule ever created, and they never made excuses when many of their players went down with injuries. After Larry Fitzgerald’s touchdown catch gave the Cardinals the lead late in the fourth, we didn’t see any panic on the Steelers’ bench; instead we saw players rally behind their quarterback, make plays and history.
I, along with most of America, was very impressed with the winning drive at the end of the game. But I wasn’t surprised, as I thought back to a road trip that I took earlier in the season.
In October, I traveled to Pittsburgh for their game against the Giants. (By the way, if anyone has not been to the Steel City for a game try to get there, its one of the best sports towns I have ever visited.) It was a rewarding trip for me since the Giants did win the game, but afterward, I remember going back to my hotel room and watching all of the news reports on TV (after all, the city basically shuts down for the Steelers games). Being a New Yorker, I fully expected to hear reporters and fans trashing the team (especially Ben Roethlisberger who had a terrible game with four interceptions). But that was not the case at all. Instead of being critical, the local media basically gave the Steelers credit for keeping it close against the champs, despite all the injuries that were plaguing the team at the time. Boy, how is that for night and day when comparing it to the New York media after a Giants or Jets loss? Eli Manning was the MVP of the Super Bowl last year and he couldn’t even get a free pass when it ended badly for the Giants this season.
The interviews with the players were no different. They knew they had a great opportunity to win the game but came up short. They looked towards next week and focused on the positives. In the end, what I took away from that weekend in the Steel City was that the fans, the media and most importantly the players all had an optimistic feeling about his season. Even after a tough loss they kept their composure and concentrated on the positives rather than dwell on the negatives and we all saw the results on Sunday.
Six in the city? … Steel City, that is
Hello fellow football fans and thanks for reading my thoughts on the NFL. I just want to say up front that although I am an NFL analyst, I am also a fan, a fanatic is more like it, which means that I have many opinions and often play the armchair quarterback position to a tee. There is no right or wrong answers in this blog, I rarely bring up stats and I will try my best not to be too biased towards the Giants, because above all I am a football fan. I look forward to hearing all of your thoughts and opinions on the league and your views on the Giants, Jets and all of the teams in the NFL during the year.
Okay, now that the official stuff is out of the way, we move on Sunday and say goodbye to another NFL season (c’mon do you really count the Pro Bowl as a real game?). Two teams with very different histories will compete for the Lombardi trophy. It’s not the David and Goliath matchup that we had last year, but it does have a Cinderella story feel to it because these teams had two very different paths to the big game, so here are a few thoughts on the game.
The Arizona Cardinals came into the season as the favorite to win their division, but let’s face it folks, that really is not saying much when you have the Rams, Seahawks and the 49ers (total of 13 wins collectively). The Cardinals went on to win all of their divisional games and clinch their division in November, something never before seen in Arizona. You could tell that they really didn’t know how to handle the success; if you were watching any of their games down the stretch, you would have thought they were preseason games.
Look, did anyone out there really think that when the playoffs started the Cardinals were going to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl? I didn’t even think they were going to win their first playoff game at home versus the Falcons. Better yet, I thought that the matchup versus the Panthers was the most lopsided of the divisional weekend. Boy was I wrong. The Cardinals then went on to beat the Eagles and capture their first NFC championship.
It was an impressive playoff run for Cardinals and it opened my eyes to of a couple of things.
A) Why am I surprised that’s the same Kurt Warner, who was a league and Super Bowl MVP, looking very comfortable in the playoffs and looking like he is still wearing the horns on the side of his helmet?
B) Larry Fitzgerald is flat-out the best receiver in football… has all of the physical tools and no one goes up and gets a ball like him.
C) The defense is legit. They bottled the Falcons and the Panthers running backs and made Jake Delhomme look like he was playing junior varsity ball.
D) Oh yeah, they remembered that Edgerrin James was still on the team and he can still be effective.
On the opposite side of the field are the Pittsburgh Steelers; just hearing their name evokes memories of John Facenda’s voice as he narrates the old the NFL Films Super Bowl memories. They are no strangers to this game and are hoping to become the first team to capture their sixth title.
Unlike the Cardinals, the Steelers had the highest of expectations entering the season. They played one of the hardest schedules ever drawn up and they have the best defense in the league, hands down. James Harrison and Troy Polamalu are the difference makers for the Steelers much like Aquan Boldin and Fitzgerald are for the Cards. Pittsburgh’s weakness lies with its offensive line and it will be interesting to see if Ben Roethlisberger tries to do too much because of his poor performance in the last Super Bowl.
The greatest intangible in this game will be the Ken Wisenhunt-Russ Grimm connection to their former team; both were considered to be top contenders for the head coaching job until Mike Tomlin went in and blew away the Steelers in his interview. I do think that the Steelers are the better team and I expect them to win the game. Then again, I thought that the Panthers were as close to a sure thing there is and as we all know, there is no such thing as a sure thing in football.
Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments.
Football NYC 