E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer
for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he is one of
only four sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

GIANTS' D.C. PERRY FEWELL POPULAR IN EARLY HEAD COACHING SEARCHES

By Dave Klein
The latest information from that NFL department bearing the title: "News, we think, and if it's not news it's rumor, but it's fun and nobody will remember in a month anyway" --

Three teams, allegedly the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers, have or will soon ask the Giants for permission to interview defensive coordinator Perry Fewell for their vacant head coaching position.

If he takes one of them, then he'll exactly follow in the footsteps of Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator who stayed with the Giants just long enough to become a hot commodity in the league and left to take the head coaching reins in St. Louis. Not that he didn't do a good job there, either, but the Rams just missed making the playoffs in a division won by Seattle - a 7-9 team.

Interesting about Fewell's popularity - maybe none of those teams watched the Giants in the final four-five games of the season, and probably nobody involved with any of those aforementioned teams even noticed when he used defensive Justin Tuck, a Pro Bowl pass-rusher, in deep pass coverage against the Eagles.

Hey, what they didn't see won't hurt them - at least not immediately.

There was some speculation that Fewell might be the obligatory "Rooney Rule" interview, since the league has mandated that worthy black-American candidates receive equal opportunity for the priceless and sparse head-coaching vacancies. Of course that has happened - with black coaches being interviewed as a sham - but in the case of Fewell, it wouldn't come out that way. He is a qualified head coaching prospect and almost had a few jobs last season.

If he gets interviewed - and gets the job - in San Francisco, he would be replacing a black head coach who recently was dismissed, Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary.

So it's not the "Rooney Rule" in action here. He just might get himself hired.

BRANDON JACOBS -- Oh, come on, you remember Brandon Jacobs. He's the 6-4, 265-pound running back who has been with the Giants for six years now, who two years ago received a monstrous new contract and who last season didn't play all that well. Oops, sorry, make that the last two seasons.

This year he was finally benched, although none of the coaches from Tom Coughlin all the way down would admit it was a benching. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride (YES, HE'S STILL HERE) merely stated that Brandon and Ahmad Bradshaw would be splitting the role. In actuality, it worked out fairly well - Bradshaw led the team with 1,235 yards and Jacobs "chipped in" with 823. But Big Brandon, who seems to have a problem using his 265 pounds up the middle on third-and-one situations, played the happy game all season, said that having to share the job with little Ahmad didn't bother him at all and that he understood the reasoning behind it.

Then came "baggie" day at the stadium, when the non-playoff team packed up to leave. The players generally throw everything they have stored in their lockers into a big plastic bag and troop out into the sunshine because their season is over. You know, the 27 pairs of football shoes, the football still in their boxes, the sweats and gloves and skin emollients and the rest.

So there was Jacobs, his back to everyone as he began cleaning out his locker, and that's when he suddenly turned and said: "Click, click, click. You're all taking pictures of Brandon Jacobs leaving, wondering if he's ever going to return. That will be your caption for tomorrow. Well, f--- you all."

Golly, B.J., that wasn't real friendly, you know? Did somebody say something to annoy you? Why not go outside before you leave and throw a few helmets into the stands, you know?

PLAXICO BURRESS -- There was a rumor circulating the other day that wide receiver Plaxico ("I didn't know the gun was loaded") Burress might rejoin the Giants when he is released from prison next spring. Honest? Well, he didn't kill anybody, he didn't even hurt anybody, he certainly didn't do the Michael Vick thing and, well, he might still be able to help the team - or another team.

So if the Giants sign him and then pursue Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who is now officially a free agent, that would be a great passing offense lineup wouldn't it? You know, Plax and Fitz and (Hakeem) Nicks and (Steve) Smith and (Mario) Manningham and (Ramses) Barden and whoever else comes off the injured list.

That kind of collection would open a new world for Eli Manning's interceptions

THE FIRST NUGGETS FROM THE END OF THE SEASON -- Almost automatically, we have learned two things now that the 2010 season has become just a (bad) memory -- the Giants will draft 19th in the first round and their 2011 schedule (should there be a 2011 season) includes home games against Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, St. Louis, Seattle, Green Bay, Buffalo and Miami, with road trips to play Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, Arizona, San Francisco, New Orleans, New England and the New York Jets.

Clearly, the road schedule was contributed by the All-Gourmet Hall of Fame.

THIS AND THAT -- Manning finished with 4,002 yards passing, and became the first Giants' quarterback to surpass that 4,000 figure two years in a row. ... He also threw for 31 touchdowns, becoming the only Giants' quarterback not named Y.A. Tittle to have 30 or more in a single season. ... (Oh, and 25 interceptions.) ... Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora shared the team sack leadership with 11.5 each.

FINALLY, SOME HUMOR FROM D.C. -- E-GIANTS subscriber Mike W. writes: I had an extremely funny situation arise at the game [Sunday]. A friend, who was kind enough to take me to the game, is a Redskins fan and is unfamiliar with the Giants personnel. At the beginning of the game he asked me who the Giants' kickoff returner was. I said, "Ware." He said, "No, who is the return man?" I said, "Ware." He said, "Over there!" I again said, "Ware." He repeatedly pointed to the guy wearing number 28 [D.J. Ware] and yelled, "There! There!" For several seconds we looked at each other, each thinking the other was nuts. Finally, we realized that we had unintentionally put ourselves in the middle of an Abbott and Costello routine, and laughed practically halfway through the first quarter.

Check out Dave's website at E-GIANTS where you can subscribe to his newsletters which run much more frequently than what is available here.
- Team Giants

NEW - Send a request to davesklein@aol.com for a free week's worth of news!

Stop in and visit "Mike's Keys to the Internet"
Links to every newspaper and magazine that's available on the net. 

Website by Mike