Hitler, Coughlin and a 12 point lead w/ < 6 minutes left

What do the following things have in common?

1) Coughlin opens his mouth and puts himself in the same category as Hitler when it comes to media assault.
2) Coughlin physically takes the legs out from his players at the end of each season by having multiple practices in full pads.
3) Coughlin elects to kick the extra point with 3:45 secs left and a 12 point lead in the (week 6) Atlanta game. (After the game, Coughlin admits his error.)
4) Coughlin elects to kick the extra point with 6:13 secs left and a 12 point lead in the (week 17) Washington game. Subsequently, the Skins march down the field, score a TD, stop the Giants on their next possession and get the ball back for ONE last drive down by SIX points with 2 mins to go.
5) Coughlin runs a Pisarcik instead of taking a knee on that final possession (Week 17) to close out the game.


ANSWER: COUGHLIN IS A MORON.

Al Wilson fallout

5 time pro bowler Al Wilson of the Broncos was brought in but failed his physical. What we learn from this is that (a) the Giants are at least trying (b) their needs at LB are so acute that they are willing to take a good MLB and move him to OLB.

From an NFL standpoint the irony is palpable. In a year in which more money than ever was available to all teams (due to a big jump in the cap), it coincided with an anemic crop of free agents. So much money to spend and not a player worthy of it. The Giants even tried (and will fail on Monday when the Texans match) to spend gazillions... on a FULLBACK!

You'll be hearing my rants all spring and summer, but the preview is that we have so many glaring needs that will be unaddressed. Unless we get a few miracles and immediate impact players from the draft, 2007 is a rebuilding year... a polite way of saying we s**k.

The dynamic of a weaker team and Coughlin in purgatory could get ugly. No, Barber will not be there to take shots at Coughlin from his untouchable perch. This time it will be the Shockeys and Burresses who tee off. Unless Manning finds NFL religion and all of a sudden makes dramatic improvement, I do not see how the year gets anything but ugly. The antics of hard Coughlin practices combined with a losing record gets old really fast. That happened in Year 1, but Coughlin's status as a new coach was unassailable. In Year 2 and 3 they came into the second half of the season with 6-2 records, so the natives could not get (too) restless. A team that will have gone 4 years with this loser screwing them yet again in the late November and December shells/pads will smell blood. Reese's first big move as GM will be to fire Coughlin, a year too late.

Wasted year coming up.

2 more years of Manning

Manning's contract has been extended. Not a surprise, but it is a little distressing to me that someone with a 73 QB rating can be so 'automatic.' The only incentive I see in this guy's play is his unwillingness (TO HANG IN THERE LONGER) to take a hit. This guy needs COMPETITION and he needs it NOW. If you missed my post from March 1st ("Want to make the Giants better?"), I urge you to read it. It is even more timely than ever before.

Actions speak louder than words

In this case, it is inaction that speaks louder than words. Consider:
1) the MANY needs of the New York Giants
2) that each team loses ~4.5 players to free agency (we have lost 8) and we have gotten ONE back through a trade
3) that Left Tackle is now going to be filled by Diehl or a high draft pick, after Petitgout was let go
4) that McGahee (Ravens), Curtis (Eagles), Rhodes (Raiders) and Davis (Cowboys) were all players we had interest in but nothing even remotely serious happened

We have to wonder aloud whether Reese is rebuilding in 2007. We have to wonder whether Coughlin is someone that players and their agents know to stay away from. As we have feared all along, is this a lame duck season for Coughlin? And if so, why NOT trade Strahan for a high draft choice while he still can play so that we can rebuild?... if we are throwing away 2007, he is 35 1/2 now, then he will be ~37 by the time we can 'compete' again.

this is a deal I could like

let me get this straight- I get to unload Tim Carter, and the price I get charged for this fee is to take Reuben Droughns? Okay. I'll take a chance.

No hard Feely-ings

Re-sign Feely for more than a couple of dollars? NOT! Goodbye! We had two Feelys while he was with us. Feely #1 was the one who was very solid in 2005 and could hit consistently from short range and hit some longer ones too. Feely #2 was the one who (in 20-20 hindsight) cracked after the Seattle game of 2005, became less consistent unless he was kicking from 30 or less, could not hit ANYTHING beyond ~40 yards, turned extra points into adventures, and generally became one UNRELIABLE Kicker. This week they kept shoveling this stat about him making something like 80% of his kicks... BULLBLEEP! Coughlin stopped letting him kick from beyond extra point range. The Giants were horrible in the red (oh, pardon me, moron Coughlin calls it the green) zone and the beneficiary of that was Feely kicking the gimme FG. GOODBYE. Next.

Free Agency, trading update

From the Washington Post: In something of a long shot, the Redskins also could be in the running for left defensive end Michael Strahan, who met with New York Giants officials this week in an attempt to be traded. Strahan has two years left on his current contract.

There has been ZERO followup (by the NY media) in the 24 hours after this article hit, so my guess at the moment is that it is more conjecture and less fact.

Giants: Dominic Rhodes of the Colts visited the Giants yesterday. The Giants have also expressed immediate interest in Cardinals left tackle Leonard Davis and Patriots linebacker Tully Banta-Cain. Though no visit has been scheduled with Banta-Cain yet, they are trying to get Davis (who visited Dallas yday) in for a visit. They are also looking hard at Eagles safety Michael Lewis, but are not optimistic about getting him. The only action they have taken is signing O'Hara, and tendering Wilson (RFA) for a 2nd rounder if the Giants cannot match someone else's offer.

Gone are Garcia (Bucs), Plummer (Traded to Bucs), Thomas (Patriots), Clements (49ers), Stinchcomb (Saints), Stenibach (Browns), Smoot (Redskins), Fletcher (Redskins), Bly (trade to Denver).

Another RB enters the mix as Travis Henry is no longer a Titan.

Want to make the Giants better?

Three step plan for greater success:
1) Get an incredibly competent backup like Jeff Garcia (who will be available, fyi).
2) Order Manning to stop with the backpedal away from the hit as he releases the ball.
3) Put in your backup if Manning is unwilling to take the hit or if he gets hurt.

Plain and simple, Manning is not giving the team 100% as long as he ducks the hit. It is part of the job as QB to take the hit. And it is definitely part of the job when hanging in there with the proper (FOOT) mechanics means better throws and more hits. Take the high road and break this guy's bad habits. If he gets hurt and we need to go to the backup, so be it. Incidentally, if you signed a guy like Garcia he should be your STARTER. Imagine HIM throwing to Burress, Shockey, Toomer, Moss and Jacobs. TFB Eli. Think about how well Garcia did WITHOUT guys like this. NFL means 'not for long,' and without a quality backup, the Giants are not going to push Manning.

One more thing in defense of Manning- I would be willing to bet that Manning's dropoff in performance in the second half of the season is tied to the Coughlin grind. Yet another reason to get onto the next coach so that Eli loses the free ride and (he and his teammates) also gets an easier one late in the season.

Schlereth on Barber and Coughlin

Former All-Pro Offensive Lineman Mark Schlereth weighed in on the Barber-Coughlin remarks... he said that Mike Shanahan added 4-5 years to his career because as a coach Shanahan managed his veterans and understood the grind. It is a 12-month per year career and Schlereth says that veterans who have delivered results for many seasons need to get less reps in practice as the season winds down. Veterans loses their legs. Even the younger players lose their legs. Think about all those games down the stretch where the Giants scored first and then disappeared. Don't think for a second that these guys were not acting out or that their bodies were simply not ready to go for 60 minutes. Coughlin is a grinder, period. AND HE HAS NOT FIGURED IT OUT.

Off-season Football ticker

1) The Giants are interested in getting a draft pick AND a free agent to challenge Jacobs and have a total of two RB options. Both challengers will be slashing, smaller RBs so that the team has RBs w/ different looks.
2) Willis McGahee is in play and is of interest to the Giants. The Bills are interested in compensation, believing McGahee is gone after the last year of his contract. As a sidenote, it was NYG GM Reese who confirmed/leaked this story, and apparently the Bills are not pleased.
3) The Giants resigned Chase Blackburn to a 4 yr $3.5M deal.
4) The Giants have allegedly given Shaun O'Hara a final offer: six-years, $21.6M w/ ~ $7M guaranteed. The offer expires when free agency begins (~March 2). (The Giants do not like to have their offer shopped.)
5) Lovie Smith is in the last year of his contract as the lowest paid head coach in the NFL. If he does not get a contract extension, in 2008 you will add ANOTHER coach to that mix of those available.

Comments:
Coughlin Purgatory begins. You think that playing in the Coughlin zoo enters into the mind of O'Hara when he decides whether he wants another year (OR MORE) of that clown? You think that going after free agents is going to be easier or harder when Barber says that it was Coughlin's bullbleep that essentially shortened his career? You think things would be a little better for us if we knew we had Cowher or Smith in here in 2008?

Tom and Tiki revealed, Pt. 38

So now we have this from Tom: "My one regret, I would say, is not being able to convince Tiki [to return for another season]."

Andy: "And why, coach, do you think he did not return?"

Tom: "Well, you would have to ask him that."

Andy: "He said in as many words last week that he was tired of your inflexible ways, that you were hearing him (and the other players) but not listening."

Tom: "My door is open all the time, and the players know they can come to my office whenever they have something to discuss with me."

Andy: "But Tom, begging your pardon, that is a load of horsebleep, and you know it. The doors to Gestapo Headquarters are open and anyone with a complaint is free to voice it and get shot."

Tom: "Not true. An unnamed player came into my office this past season and we slit the bastard's throat. No guns were used."

Andy: "Well, I am glad that misconception was cleared up. But back to Barber, what about the perception that players ultimately do not want to play for you, that they can only take your mouth, your rules, your rigidity for so long before they want to move on?"

Tom: "I cannot speak for Tiki. All I can say is that I am the head coach and I have 45 spots that many football players will be fighting for come the end of July."

Andy: "With upwards of $109 million dollars in salary cap booty being disbursed, you could run a ... er... Gestapo Installation and people would show up."

Tom: "We're trying to convince the fans that we have a legitimate chance at winning a Super Bowl, and your comments do not help. Look, I have the support of John Mara, who has stated that 'there's substantial support for (me) in (the) locker room. If you talk to the players, they will certainly dispute that (notion of malcontents).'"

Andy: "Look, I can only interview one blind bat at a time. Is there any hope that you can win a championship while remaining intractable?"

Tom: "Intractable? What does that mean? Too many syllables. Look, I am a football coach, not an English major."

Andy: "Stubborn, unmoveable, unbending."

Tom: "Damnit, have you been speaking to my wife?"

Andy: "No, just Tiki and 44 others."

Tired of Tom

When you read the stuff below you understand why Coughlin will not win us a championship. Like it or not, THERE ARE DIFFERENT RULES FOR DIFFERENT PLAYERS. From the NY POST:

"Coach Coughlin is very hard-nosed, and I didn't get a lot of time off, couldn't sit down and rest myself, and so it was a constant grind - a physical grind on me that started to take its toll," said Barber. "The grind took its toll on me and really forced me to start thinking about what I wanted to do next. And that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing, for me at least. Maybe not for the Giants, because they lose one of their great players, but for me, it is."

Barber attributed much of the wear and tear he endured on the high standards Coughlin placed on his players during practice.

"There'd be days where I couldn't move on Tuesday or Wednesday at practice, and he'd get mad at me for going half-speed. And I told him, 'Coach, I can't do it. I'm gonna be out here, I'm never gonna miss a practice, but I can't give you what you want all the time.' And he understood.

"We were in full pads for 17 weeks, and with the amount of injuries that we had, it just takes a toll on you. You just physically don't want to be out there when your body feels the way you do in full pads. "

Hello Jerry, Goodbye Luke, LaVar and Carlos

Welcome to 2007. Our new GM made his presence felt quickly, axing Arrington, Petitgout and Emmons.

Arrington (getting cut) was not going to be a shock because his contract was structured for the Giants to have low (financial) risk and more reward if it worked out. I am sure the medical staff said what everyone knows re Achilles... another wasted year.

Emmons? Ask Marvelous how surprised he is at this one. Not.

Petitgout? Well, here I admit to being blindsided. He took up martial arts in the last offseason and was having a great year until he went down. His penalties were down, and his run blocking was excellent as Barber was going his way with plenty of success. LEFT TACKLE IS A HUGE HOLE TO FILL. Reese must have a very good plan. If he does not, I will be more surprised by that than by the cut in the first place. This move clearly is the first significant datapoint as GM. We will learn a lot more about Reese a lot faster than any of us originally expected.

Peyton Manning, Super Bowl Champion QB

"There's no doubt in my mind that Eli will lead his team to a Super Bowl, probably more than one," Peyton said. "I know how hard he works. There's no question he's going to be fine."

I am so glad to hear that Peyton is selling us insurance on this Super Bowl. Please note he did not say that the NY Giants would win a Super Bowl. That is because Manning will be a (more cost-effective) retread on his third team by the time he wins it, IF he wins it.

Stop dreaming, Giant fans. Manning was surrounded with talent and was the weakest link 2 years in a row. Until he starts yelling and plays with fire consistently for 4 quarters, he is not going to win it. He is reluctant to be the leader, and that is part of the job description of QB, like it or not. There is a small glimmer of hope that perhaps with Barber's exit there might be an opening for him to become the leader of the offense, but if you see that meek and quiet guy out there on the sidelines and in the huddle next season, you'll know it is the same 2nd string QB masquerading as a 1st stringer.

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Simms and Taylor