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.

HOW FAR ARE THE GIANTS WILLING TO ACQUIRE THE RIGHT NEW WIDE RECEIVER?

By AARON KLEIN
In our continuing effort to provide something different for Giant fans without really changing the face of team coverage, we unveil today the first of several Draft This Guy features, each of which will be designed to analyze a team need and suggest solutions.

There is absolutely no question that the Giants need to replace Plaxico Burress -- even if it's with Plaxico Burress. But while that might sound confusing, Aaron Klein explains it, along with several other options (mostly veteran free agents).

In the coming weeks and months, you will hear all about the Giants' positional needs and you will argue with your friends as to the value of a left tackle versus a big receiver, a linebacker versus a defensive tackle, and on and on. Should they try to keep Derrick Ward and open the vault for Brandon Jacobs before doing anything else?

Yes to that last one.

So, to kick off pro football's hot stove season, let say we take a close look at just one sore point, explore the current free agency options and potential surprise free agents as well as a glance at the draft possibilities... starting with wide receiver.

Look, you can probably take it to the bank that old No. 81, Amani Toomer, has run his last pointless route for the Giants. The veteran receiver, who did his job with nary a complaint all season, was seemingly forgotten down the stretch in favor of Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon and the other kids. Once the season ended, Toomer lashed out during Super Bowl week in Tampa, complaining that he was underused when the team needed him the most and called out the front office for a lack of action regarding his pending free agency.

Toomer could still be back, but the odds are dwindling as the Feb. 27 free agency deadline looms closer and Toomer is still without a contract.

The Plaxico Burress Affair is ongoing and will likely not move forward until he makes his court appearance on March 31. If it looks as though Plax will get a slap on the wrist with a plea deal designed to keep him out of jail, the Giants might be interested in bringing him back. He could also land himself in prison for three years or more. There is just cause to simply send him out to sea regardless.

However, one could make the case for bringing him back (if he's not on the Longest Yard team). Why? Listen, Plax gave the Giants' offense a dimension every team wanted. He stretched the field, made the tough catches and added balance that they sorely lacked when he was not on the active roster. Sorry to say that while Smith has morphed into Mister Third Down and will likely be Toomer's successor, there was something off with Hixon in the last weeks of the season and the playoffs. While he had outstanding moments during the year he suddenly got a case of the drops and at times disappeared. The jury is still out on Sinorice Moss and Mario Manningham, but they come more from the old Washington Redskins Smurfs mold (though not nearly as good) and neither has emerged as a future star as of yet.

What to do? Pick up a free agent? Wait for the draft, fantasize about Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree and target Rutgers' Kenny Britt, Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey or USC's Patrick Turner instead? Sure, but with a caveat. The Giants don't need to replace Plax with a clone, but they have to do something since the entire corps of wideouts seemed thin without him and Toomer could be playing on the West Coast next year.

FREE AGENCY -- Among those currently slated to become unrestricted free agents (UFAs), some interesting names pop out immediately: Cincinnati's T.J. Houshmandzadeh (6-1, 200), Tampa Bay's Antonio Bryant (6-1, 205), Michael Clayton (6-4, 215) and Justin McCareins (6-2, 215), Oakland's Ashley Lelie (6-3, 195) and Tennessee's Brandon Jones (6-1, 212).

Clayton is built similarly to Burress, but he's been disappointing. Teammate Bryant is a fine player though his size would force the Giants to change their scheme. Lelie has never lived up to his hype and played with his fourth team since being drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 19th overall pick in the 2002 draft. Jones has some skills but is no game breaker.

As it stands now, the best UFA wide receiver is probably Houshmandzadeh, an outstanding performer who seems ready to move to a contender. Many teams will be chasing him on Feb. 27 and the Giants will have to consider how many clams they're willing to shell out.

On the current list of Restricted Free Agents, only Philadelphia's Hank Baskett (6-4, 220) draws serious interest, but would the Giants really want to give the Eagles even more draft choices? They already have two first round picks and are possibly gearing for a big trade-up in the first round, possibly to target Crabtree or one of the top quarterbacks of the future (Georgia's Matt Stafford or USC's Mark Sanchez).

POTENTIALLY UNRESRICTED FREE AGENTS (PUFA) -- Okay, so we made up that category, but there are a few potential UFAs that have already drawn much interest.

1. There is a lot of talk that the Dallas Cowboys will release Terrell Owens and many NFL general managers are booking extra time with their respective therapists to work over the pros and cons in offering T.O. a contract.

If you think the Giants would make a move on Owens, you must have really hurt yourself when you fainted after the playoff loss to the Giants. Teams will take a shot if he's free (which is NOT a foregone conclusion), but don't fall for that tired cliche that all the bad kids go to Oakland. Many general managers and coaches believe in their heart of hearts that they are stronger than any player and that they can overcome his issues, the biggest of which is to keep him very happy with lots of passes going his way. The problem will be that in his never-ending quest to be the No. 1 receiver, landing with a contender will be a difficult task. Houston? Tampa Bay? Miami? The Jets? Maybe all or none, but it would be a day that would live in infamy to see him in a Giants uniform.

2. Arizona's Anquan Boldin is pushing hard for a trade, saying publicly that the damage has been done and the relationship between player and team may be broken for good.

At 6-2, 215, Boldin may not fit the Plax mold, but he's quite a talented receiver, if a bit too vocal about his issues with his current team. He lashed out before the season and after (but not during) leading us all to the draw the conclusion that not only is he out of Arizona, he needs a filter on his mouth when he's not happy. Still, Boldin is a talented player who would be the best receiver on the Giants roster assuming Plax and Toomer are not on it, but he would cost at least a first-round pick and then some and some in the Giants' war room may argue that the cost would be too high.

3. Cincinnati's Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson will likely see the light of free agency (so might teammate Chris Henry) as the Bengals are itching to pull the trigger and let him go.

No... then again, no. While Johnson is a naturally gifted player who at times could be called one of the best pure receivers in the pro football, the risk-reward factor is even greater than it would be with T.O. And he's not a Giants guy, even less so than Owens. In this case, "Ocho Cinco" really is a Raiders guy.

CONCLUSION -- Houshmandzadeh is the top UFA receiver but the Giants could really be priced out. Clayton may be worth a shot while Baskett is a rising star who would come at a cost.

Regarding the PUFAs, only Boldin has any real value to the Giants, and the Cardinals are in a precarious position as 31 other teams would like to have him and each knows he wants out, yet Arizona can't just give him away as he's among the league's Top 10-12 receivers. Forget about T.O. and Johnson and sleep tight. You don't want that kind of hell.

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

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