Wonder on players 51-100 in the draft

Wonder: I usually come CLOSE to agreeing with Gil Brandt..so consider...I do like (for value)
RB Shonn Greene
WR Juaquin Iglesias
TE Richard Quinn
RB Andre Brown
G Duke Robinson
WR Lewis Murphy (might be GREAT for Jints in 3rd round)
DE Lawrence Sidbury
DB Deangelo Smith
LB Marcus Freeman
DB Donald Washington
and my 2 favorites, one for Off, one for Def:

Offense:
IF you can get him at end of 3rd or in 4th...Rhett Bomar MAY be the best QB draft value BY FAR...FEAST OR FAMINE

Defense:
S Rashad Johnson...get him in the 3rd round and you got VALUE..he's a football player.

For those of you new to Wonder's assessments, understand that his message is that it is not only important who you take but where you take them... note how Wonder can highlight LB Marcus Freeman from Ohio State and NOT be keen at all on Laurinaitis, from a VALUE perspective.
When he says feast or famine, he is simply implying that there can be so much upside to a player that it is worth the RISK of taking him at a certain place in the draft because of the potential. So Bomar could be a bust, but if he hits you have taken a lower risk and will get paid handsomely.

Wonder has some very good company with Marvelous, who completely concurs with the thumbs up finding of Shonn Greene. Marvelous:"Well.. my real sleeper was mentioned & I was going to look like a real genius--BUT-- now that the cat's out of the bag I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEE Shonn Greene of Iowa!!! He is a great talent-- runs like a beast--fast--AND LOVES the game!!!!!!! Can he improve as a pass receiver & blocker? YES!! But he is a hungry mother browner--he LOVES challenges. CLUTCH should be his middle name!!!! LOVES contact."

Note one of the things that separates Wonder's picks from others: meanness/softness. He uses that criteria often to accept or reject a player. He likes an Offensive Lineman with a mean streak. NOT dirty. Simply aggressive/fierce/competitive. It does not surprise me that Greene is described as loving the game, loving contact. You would be surprised to find how many players at this level in college who DO NOT have their heart in the game. Tomorrow, Wonder will mention one player in the Top 10 of the draft that he you stays away from. It does not imply he will not be successful in the NFL- it implies that you as the GM do not pick a player that high based on his risk. If you cannot get the certainty w/o the risk in the top 10, you are doing something wrong and need to trade down.

Do you think Roger Goodell is doing a good job?

The NFL has more than few things wrong right now that need fixing:

1) The CBA.

2) The rookie pay structure.

3) Poor officiating.

4) The Brady Rule and most attempts to protect QBs at the expense of playing the game.

5) The misguided notion of expanding to 18 games.

6) Expensive stadiums, debt loads and PSLs that change the fan base at games.

7) Flex game scheduling that punishes the premium NFL viewer- the fan who purchases a ticket to the game.

Goodell may think he is doing a good job, but his lack of leadership is hurting the NFL. What do all of these things mentioned here have in common? MONEY. This is the same road MLB went down a long time ago. Money won and MLB lost. Death by a thousand cuts. When owners make decisions for more money at the expense of quality, the game suffers.

The rookie pay structure may not be the NFL’s fault (unlike the other 6 items mentioned), but they need to correct it, or else it will continue to foster a weakened underclass of teams that pay too much for the elite draft choice, unnecessarily and adversely killing their cap and longer range competitiveness.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE COMMISSIONER? Is it to be the unified voice of the owners, or is it also the unified voice of a successful league? The combination of strong owners bullying a weak commissioner is a recipe for disaster. Owners are selfish, and in capitalism that is always there. But this is yet another manifestation of the prisoner's dilemma, where the commissioner has to weigh the interests of some owners advocating for money versus the interests of the competitiveness and quality of the league. The commissioner is uniquely situated to make sure that 32 teams do not undercut one another and assure that collectively they seek a stronger solution to protect the longer term issues of their brand.

Roselle would be turning in his grave. Wake up Goodell and start protecting the game. Suggestion- visit the Masters and see how they protect and build value in their brand.

One of the Giants' newest fans

Little "Bass" is showing his true colors!

The color this weekend is green, as in the Masters. I do not golf, and do not pretend to know much about the sport. But I do know one thing- this is a GREAT tournament to watch. WHY?

1) History
2) Tradition
3) One of the 4 Majors
4) THE ORGANIZERS PROTECT THE INTEGRITY AND QUALITY OF THE WEEKEND BY AVOIDING ALL THE EASY PATHS TO DILUTION. The one I specifically refer to is 4 minutes per hour for commercials, with no promotions of other network programming. (4 minutes?! We get 4 minutes of ads surrounding a kickoff.) These guys could milk this tournament for all it is worth, but they protect their franchise. They protect the quality of what we watch. Goodell, are you listening- where are your priorities? Think about what 18 games is about in the context of some of the items mentioned in the link. Which direction is being chosen? Is there any doubt about the long term implications it means to EVERYONE- fans, players and owners alike?

John Mara speaks to Chris Russo

Mara was interviewed on Sirius radio by Chris Russo.

The comments by Mara confirm and clarify initial reports for the Giants' reasons behind the decision to let Burress go.

Russo asked him about the PSLs and we got a candid admission...

Garafolo: I caught the tail end of the interview when I got back in the car and heard Mara talking about PSLs. Russo had told him Wellington "is tossing up in heaven, going crazy" about the PSLs and Mara responded by saying his late father "was dealing with a completely different set of circumstances than we're dealing with right here." He also added with a laugh his father "never really would have let us go into this new building in the first place if he (had his way)" and that Wellington "was happy with the Polo Grounds. He told me that over and over again."

Well, we are shocked, shocked to find gambling is going on in here! NOT. Wellington Mara had his way all the way up until he died. And that is why they are dealing with "a completely different set of circumstances" now.

Toomer is working out

We read a week ago that Toomer is staying in shape, waiting for the call from a team who wants the UFA. It may happen after the draft when a team decides it needs help from a WR that it did not get in the draft. It may easily happen after camp starts when WR injuries start depleting those ranks. We all know that despite Toomer's age reducing his speed, he has the possession skills someone will want for that third down role. Some are speculating the Giants may take Toomer back at the right price. Not happening.. not unless the Giants are one of those teams that goes through a rash of injuries.

While Amani waits, at least he is living the dream...

The price of an 18 game season? There is no free lunch.

Some constructive observations on an 18 game season...

1. NFLPA president Kevin Mawae, on Sirius NFL Radio, asked his opinion of the prospect of the NFL going from a 16- to an 18-game regular-season schedule: "What's in it for us? If we're going to give you two more games, two more games of wear and tear on our bodies, two more games of potential career-ending injuries, two more games of concussions, blown-out knees, elbows, whatever you want to call it, then what's the price you're willing to pay for us to give that to you?"

2. Adalius Thomas about the owners advocating a 17 or 18 game schedule: "Why would you want an 18 game season? Why? ... It's the money thing. Stop. Just stop. If [NFL owners] want to cry about money, then open your books up to an independent audit to really show how much money you're making. If you really want to cry about money, open your books up, put what you really make in the paper, like you put our salary in the paper every year so that the fans can say, 'Well, they're making this much money, why don't they do this?' If that's the case, I'm sick of people talking about, crying about, 'Well, we need to make cuts here' ...

"I'm just trying to figure out, what's the purpose for an 18-game season? At the end of the year, when players go to the playoffs, it's been a long season, so now you're going to say it's a longer season? Are you just going to stretch out the payments over 18 weeks now? No. We're not doing that. You can mark me down on the injured list for two weeks. You can put that in your books. You've lost your mind."

3. Peter King: "I still find it very, very hard to believe in this economy that the owners are going to get the TV networks to pay them any more than the current deals, never mind an increase for the increased inventory."

Finally some reality injected into this NFL victory proclamation about an 18 game season. Fans automatically equate more games to more NFL. I wish everything in life were that simple. We have argued that this dilutes the product. Incrementally you are not asking for 2 more games for 1 and 2, you are asking for two more games numbered 17 and 18, so you are going to have to pay players for something they have absolutely ZERO interest in. NONE. 2 more regular season games to prove what? To get to the end of the season and determine what already is being determined very well? Players are not going to ask for, and they will not get a 12.5% pay increase. It is not worth it to them. Did you ever hear of "overtime?" It is called TIME AND A HALF. So are NFL owners willing to give players a 19% pay increase for 2 more games? And what about the question posed by Peter King, on whether TV is going to offer ANY increase in the value of the contract, let alone a 19% increase? This is why we called it the Law of Diminishing Returns. TOO MANY QUESTIONS. NOT ENOUGH ANSWERS.

Ask Wonder

Yesterday we talked about the Giants WR corps being small, how they need to get BIGGER. In the past week or so, a few commenters asked us about a few players out there that are big, and we asked Wonder about them..

1) Oxbay: "Ramses Barden a WR from Cal Poly. He's 6'6" and around 230 lbs"
Wonder:"great value for Jints in 2nd/3rd round"

2) on 4.3.09 Mitch reported possible interest from Chris Mara at the USC Pro Day for Patrick Turner. On 4.6.09 Craig reiterated the idea about Turner.
Wonder:"might be the steal of the draft...total pro...great size, good hands...has to "fill out" to NFL body...not a burner."

3) Rumors flying on radio yesterday about the Eagles interested in trading DOWN. Now where did you hear that possibility before?

Wonder's remark about Turner certainly got my attention. The Giants are very good in Round 2 and this is precisely why. So while we all want to trade up and go for glory, part of us should sanely respect the ability of Reese to sit back and pick. As good as the Giants have been in Round 2, their track record in Round 3 is not very good. Okay, I was being polite, it browns. About the best third rounder we have gotten historically has been Justin Tuck, and then the dropoff is off a cliff thereafter. Drew pointed out to us that you cannot trade that #100 compensatory 3rd rounder, so trade the other 3rd rounder (#91) up with a few others to get into round #2 to cut down the number of players we draft. Quality, not quantity. Where else have we been using that argument lately?!!

Summary: Go for the big boys, and they do not necessarily have to be in Round #1 either.

Size matters- bigger is better

On Friday, after Plaxico Burress was cut, Trent Dilfer made the simple observation that Eli Manning needs that big and tall option (because he is not an accurate QB).

Gone:
Shockey 6'5"
Toomer 6'3"
Burress 6'5"

Here:
Smith 5'11"
Moss 5'8"
Hixon 6'2" (really?, I read somewhere else 5'11")
Manningham 5'11"

Not Gone, but forgotten:
Boss 6'6"

REHASH FROM SATURDAY: There is a guy out there who is tall (6'5"), caught 96 passes, was 12th in the league in receiving yards (1058), has expressed interest in a trade, would welcome coming to the Giants, has ZERO character issues, would not be that expensive, holds onto the ball, has been to 10 probowls including this past season... his name? Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez has been lined up as a WR often in his career, and could fill a BIG void.

The two legacies of Plaxico Burress

Championship

Comic Implosion

Addendum, this one from early this morning... you think that with his court appearance due in 13 days, he would be trying to stay out of a little trouble?

Giants release WR Burress amid legal troubles

Giants release WR Burress amid legal troubles

Clayton's perspective from a step back affords us some general clarity on all of what we saw over the past number of days, weeks and months.

Trent Dilfer's macro perspective on Eli needing that big and strong receiver so that he can throw into an area is a polite way of saying that Manning is not an accurate QB. Absolutely correct, spot on. This is why we were pounding the table, pointing to Boss as the new #1 receiver for Manning, despite the fact that he was a TE. He's a big target, he's tall, he has great hands, and who cares if he is a TE or not... Bavaro led the '86 Giants in receiving, but Gilbrown wastes his TE. He barely figured out that the TE was his personnel answer to the loss of #17. If you go man on Boss, he will hurt you too. This is what they needed, and still need. Wonder and I were both disappointed when the Giants did not make a stronger play for Gonzalez before the trading deadline when TG asked out of KC. He had another pro bowl year. As a 1 year solution, he'd spread the field for you too.

Everyone is pointing to drafting an impact WR in round #1 as the savior. History says that we do not get WRs coming into the NFL and blowing the doors off in their rookie year. Either it is going to come from one of our existing receivers, from Boss, or from a trade for Edwards/Boldin. Realistically for 2009, given that the Giants already tried for Edwards and missed, it probably is going to come from Boss, with an outside chance that Moss/Manningham/Hixon makes huge strides in camp to become a consistent threat.

After you read Garafolo, you will say:"Good Riddance"

Take it at face value. Mike Garafolo delivers good stuff, and this story, if correct, sheds plenty of light on what has been happening. (I am operating on this story being correct. If it is not, then some of the things I state below will be subject to change. I doubt that will be necessary. I think Garafolo has it and I think his story is very telling.)

Let me get this straight, Burress is upset? At the Giants? If this is the case, then the man is completely and totally whacked out and the Giants were sane enough to cut him and move on. The only thing the Giants did to protect themselves at any time was suspend him and withhold pay, which I believe will hold up (or at worst get arbitrated down) as part of the morals clause.

This story was so remarkable that I had to read it a second time to completely understand that Burress is a total lunatic.

Brafman's remark is completely true. As his lawyer, the Giants cutting him is a mistake because from that vantage point my client is now unemployed. As a Giants fan, it is a mistake on the surface because we just have "lost" a very good player. But according to all of this, it is just spin, because apparently he was lost a while ago. His own client wanted this!

Remember back in early fall, the ink was not even dry on his brand new contract, that first bonus check had just cleared and he was already causing more problems? Well, the Giants have been saints in all of this, have given him anything and everything, every opportunity, and he spits in the team's face. The Giants are a strong club, and players rave about them as an administration because they stand by you and give you every opportunity to succeed. In a word, they are loyal. They gave this man every opportunity, time and again. Fines, suspensions, holdouts, gunshot wounds... they stood by him as long as possible. He's upset?

GOOD RIDDANCE.

News Flash: Burress Cut

What a waste, the entire story. The Giants realized this DA is not going to help Burress or the Giants. It must have been the obstruction of justice (hospital worker) that blocked any attempt at a reduced sentence and an oppty for either #17 playing again for the team OR the Giants trading him. Not much else to do.

The cries are already there for a WR in Round #1. This draft is deep at WR, OL and LB. Reese can go to OL or LB and still find WR in Round 2.

Braylon Edwards?

Wonder comments on Cutler and the 18 game season

Let's see what Wonder said late tues night for Wed AM's post:
The deal will get done in 48 hours, everyone will try to deal for him, Denver will get a good price. Right on all three counts.

The price? Wonder also targeted the Bears as one of the likeliest of homes. He said: Cutler for Orton, a #1 and Olsen. Well, in draft pick math, Olsen = low #1 pick, OR high #2 + #4 pick. So he expected ~ Orton, #1 and a high #1 or low #2, it ended up being Orton, two #1's, a #3 and the Bears get back a #5, so still very close to what Wonder was looking at. "The Bears did fine," said Wonder. "They have a good QB for the first time in recent memory. They paid a lot, but they have a great QB." As for his beloved Jets missing on the deal, Wonder suspects that Denver's asking price for an AFC team was probably a lot higher, apples to apples, so that it really came down to what an NFC team could deliver, the Bears paid and got their man.

Wonder knows it would have caused a stink, but given the Broncos were thinking to trade him to the NFC, a trade for Eli Manning? The Giants should have inquired. The reason why the Broncos would have shown some interest and why the Giants probably did stay away is that Eli is a rare commodity in one respect: "he is valuable because he is not ****ed up. Every player these days has some sort of character issue, at least Manning doesn't."

I asked Wonder about the idea and proposal being kicked around to play 18 games. His response was UNEQUIVOCAL: "This is not even worth discussing, that is how stupid it is. It is so insane. Ridiculous. The NFL is asking for trouble. Forget having a full contingent of players. You'll have guys barely walking by the time they get to the Super Bowl. The average person does not understand what the (players) go through every week. This is unbelievably stupid. I'll tell you another thing- Who wins the Super Bowl?? Answer- The coach who has the b*lls to not play his LB and RB for the first 5 games of the season. 16 games works. If I am the NFL Players Association, I reject it out of hand."

Wonder gave a quick Giants draft jab: "Britt, H-Bey or Nicks."

Ultimatenyg here. It is a different discussion when going draft picks for draft picks (Manning for Rivers) or an established player who is young and is a Pro Bowl player. Cutler is a known quantity. The math we did in comparing what the Bears ended up paying above what Wonder expected amounted to essentially a third round pick. And Wonder qualified it beforehand saying that Denver WOULD get paid.. so they got paid. But the Bears got a KNOWN quantity, so they did fine. It was in absolute terms a lot, but then again look how long a team like the Bears can go without a franchise QB.. they do not grow on trees. This is not Albert Haynesworth, a DT who has been injured in ~6 consecutive seasons and could be gone from football in 3-4 years. Cutler has TEN seasons ahead of him. We have seen MANY QBers get better with age, like fine wine, finding the fountain of youth in their mid to late 30's. So how much is all of that worth to a franchise?! A lot.

Toomer Part II

It is not every day that you get an ex-player to share some insight on what is actually going on INSIDE. Add the fact that it is Amani Toomer and you have something worth listening to. How many times in Toomer's career did he show up a player or a coach? Before this, in 13 years, I cannot recall a single time.

January 28th: "They try to rely on the offensive line. And I think our offensive line is great, but they're great when we mix it up."

March 31st: "We practiced and prepared well. But we tried to beat them the same way we did the first time. We overemphasized things from the first time. We stayed the same. They adjusted. The rest is what happened. A shame."

They're great when we mix it up. Translation- you can have 5 great linemen going to the pro bowl but you cannot be predictable. Kevin Gilbride does not understand this.

October 28th: "Gilbride hinders the team. There is obviously something to lining up and punching someone in the mouth, but much like a fighter, there is a difference between a puncher and a boxer. A boxer can beat a puncher with strategy and technique. And it is much better to be a boxer and not always a puncher."

Shout out to Rob, who gets the kudos for articulating how Gilbrown is the puncher, not the boxer. Banks gave us the corroboration. Toomer left nothing for debate.

Wonder comments on Burress and Cutler, TOOMER COMMENTS TOO

Three items today, do not miss Toomer's comments at the end.

First, Wonder commented on the 2 big news items:
1) Plaxico Burress court appearance delayed until June 15th. (More on this article below, see "Toomer.")
2) Jay Cutler and the Broncos are getting a divorce

On Burress... Either the Giants want Burress back or not, but EITHER WAY they have to
(a) get the moron atty and moron Burress to accept ~90 days of jail, (get him some cable tv, jokes Wonder), 45 of it will be in a halfway/his own house etc. and he'll be out
(b) work with the NFL right now and arrange for a deal with Goodell, contingent upon Burress negotiating w courts above, where the Giants suspension at the end of the 2008 season (5 games + Playoffs) is recognized by the NFL as time served.
Both of those things must be done IN ANY SCENARIO.

>>>If you want Burress back, all these things are finished and he is ready for camp.

>>>If you do not want Burress back, all the bs is cleared away, and NOW YOU CAN TRADE HIM for a #2. There are more than a few teams that will want him.

Wonder is irate at the atty- he had 4 months to do a deal and did not, what kind of bullbrown is that?! Time is money for a 31 year old WR who needs to be playing in 2009. This delay could cost his client millions. (Yes, he could do delayed service of time in next year's offseason, but that does not clear the deck for a trade.)

On Cutler, Wonder expects Denver to have a deal done in 48 hours. He is too hot a commodity and everyone will be trying to deal for him, so Denver will get a good price. CUTLER IS WORTH EVERY PENNY. How many times does a Pro Bowl QB with a rocket arm and TWENTY FIVE YEARS OLD COME ALONG?!!! Assuming you have a QB wish, he is worth it to get him. Yes, Wonder knows about the things being said about him not being a great teammate, but it is not a big enough issue. For the Jets, who have guys like Jenkins, Jones and Faneca in the lockerroom, he'd be fine. Add Rex Ryan, and it is no problem.

Wonder's proposed trade: Jets give up David Harris (who Mangini loves) to Cleveland, a #1 to Denver, Cleveland gives up Derek Anderson, Jets get Cutler. Denver gets a Pro Bowl QB plus a #1. Cleveland gets a stud LBer and no longer has a QB controversy, the Jets get a franchise QB.

Other teams that could/should be strongly interested: TB, Chi and Minn. Minn just got Sage Rosenfels, but ship him off to Denver along with your backup RB Chester Taylor (Denver needs a RB) and a #1 in a deal for Cutler. TB does not have anything strong enough to offer for Cutler other than draft picks. Chi can get a deal done by throwing in Kyle Orton, Olsen and a #1.

The team that wants Cutler most will get it done quickly. Wonder reminds us that Bart Scott, one of the most coveted LBers in free agency, was sought after by more than a few teams waiting to talk to him. The Jets literally flew down to his house, called him up and asked him to take his dogs away, that they were in the driveway at 12:15AM after free agency had just begun. He packed his bags, went to visit the Jets and the deal was done. So if you want Cutler, pull the trigger or someone else will.

Lastly, Amani Toomer. See link from top. Ya think we would overlook his parting shot at the Giants for how they browned up in the playoff game vs the Eagles?!!! Not a chance.

Toomer said he will never believe that the Giants were not good enough to win a second straight championship last season. "We beat Philly in the regular season, lost to them in the regular season, and for some reason we overlooked them in the playoffs," Toomer said. "We practiced and prepared well. But we tried to beat them the same way we did the first time. We overemphasized things from the first time. We stayed the same. They adjusted. The rest is what happened. A shame."

This is piece of evidence number 38 that Gilbrown (and Coughlin) was the root of all incompetence here. Now we have a player SPELLING OUT WHAT WE HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR AN ENTIRE SEASON. Gilbrown does not make the adjustments, and when we win it is often despite him. He had a freaking do-over and still blew it. It took one of his FORMER players to finally tell the truth. Carl Banks was nice enough to validate our thoughts, but Toomer closes the door on any remaining debate. Remember that Toomer did not say a word about Manning's bad day at the office. HE SPECIFICALLY TARGETED THE FLAWED OFFENSIVE GAMEPLAN. So when anyone tells you it was Burress being hurt or Manning playing poorly, please calmly explain to them that GILBROWN IS THE WEAKEST LINK.