Tagged: Michael Boley

And so it begins

stevesmith_250_080309.jpgThe long wait is over and the NFL season has officially begun. The Giants were the last team to report to training camp yesterday and officially kick off the NFL season.

It is great time of year for any football fan because it gives us our first real look at our favorite teams and who knows maybe this is the year for your team to win the Super Bowl. As much as people like to rank teams in the preseason, the fact of the matter is that you just don’t know how the season will unfold as far as injuries and strength of schedule.

So as the preseason predictions start flying in from everywhere don’t worry if your team is at the bottom of the list because I can remember just two years ago when the Giants were predicted to come in last place in the division and we all know how that worked out.

A couple of Giants and Jets notes for the start of camp:

? Steve Smith is going into training camp as the Giants’ No. 1 receiver. This will be interesting because we have all seen how well he has played as the third down option for Manning the last two seasons but it remains to be seen if he can be a No. 1 target. Also look for Mario Manningham to get many reps

? The Giants already have problems at linebacker. Michael Boley is out for all of camp and who knows what the legal ramifications will be with Antonio Pierce.

? Osi Umenyiora is back. It is nice to see him out there after last season’s knee injury and believe me his loss was felt last year.

? Mark Sanchez is the talk of Jets camp. Nothing surprising here and don’t believe anyone if they tell you he is not expected to start this season.

? Jerricho Cotchery is the No. 1 guy in Jets camp. Much like the Giants, the Jets are looking for the player who will step up and become the new top target.

Jets, Giants make waves in free agency

bartscott_250_030409.jpgBoth 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.