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| E-GIANTS By
DAVE KLEIN It didn't take Jerry Reese, the new general manager, much time to shake up the Giants and get everybody's attention. Late yesterday afternoon, it was announced that the team had released three veterans -- strongside linebacker LaVar Arrington, weakside linebacker Carlos Emmons and, perhaps most surprisingly of all, offensive tackle Luke Petitgout. Petitgout suffered a fractured leg in the ninth game of the season against the Chicago Bears and never returned, despite the Giants' decision not to place him on Injured Reserve immediately. It was hoped that he might return for the last game or two of the season plus whatever playoff games were involved, but he didn't, and the week before the regular season ended he was placed on Injured Reserve. "Luke has been a valuable player for the Giants," Reese said. "Throughout his career he has showed versatility and toughness. This was a difficult decision because of that, but it was [nevertheless] one we felt we had to make to take the first steps in improving our team for [the 2007 season]." Head coach Tom Coughlin, who apparently worked with Reese on the difficult decisions, added this about Petitgout, the team's first round draft pick in 1999. "Luke has been a tough competitor and was really playing well before his injury." Arrington was signed as a veteran free agent last season after he bought his way out of a contract with the Washington Redskins. He started off slowly, and some found reason to blame the fired defensive coordinator, Tim Lewis, for the way he was used. But in the sixth game of the year, against the Dallas Cowboys, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and missed the rest of the season. While he had been said to be making progress, it apparently wasn't good enough -- and the improbable size of his contract also seemed to work as a deterrent to continuing the experiment. Arrington will be 29 and Petitgout 31 before next season starts, and it is probable that both will find new homes in the NFL. It does not seem as likely for Emmons, who at 34 clearly lost most of the speed and quickness that had enabled him to play in the league for 11 years. "Carlos just had trouble staying on the field," said Reese. "It was because of his injuries the past couple of years." Coughlin added: "Carlos Emmons gave us everything he had but his injuries over the last couple of years kept him from being the kind of player we know he is [was, coach, was]." However, in the playoff game against Philadelphia, Emmons started and finished with a zero stat line -- no solo tackles, no assisted tackles, no sacks, no forced fumbles, no recovered fumbles, not even a quarterback pressure or hit. Clearly, his career had ended. Arrington was signed to a seven-year contract [most of it will now be wiped out] and the coaching staff thought he was going to be a pass-rushing, run-stopping force. But he started slowly -- clearly not at top physical condition -- and when he finally began to show some flashes of effectiveness he ruptured the Achilles tendon. "LaVar's situation is unfortunate because he was just starting to really become a factor in our defense at the time of his injury," said Reese. It is apparent that the other reason for the release of the three veterans is about the money. All three were highly-paid veterans and their paring will reduce the Giants' salary cap obligations; in effect, provide more money to spend on other veteran free agents. But the release of Petitgout, above all else, might cause a shift in the Giants' draft plans. They hold the 20th position in the first round, and while Reese may try to move up, there are a few offensive tackles who will now fall under tight scrutiny. The best, Joe Thomas of Wisconsin, appears to be out of their reach and he might, in fact, become a top five or top 10 selection. There is still a need for a defensive tackle. There is, now more than ever, a need for a weakside linebacker to replace Emmons and perhaps another strongside linebacker in case such as Reggie Torbor and Tyson Smith can't handle the job. The other possibility is that promising middle linebacker Chase Blackburn may be moved to strongside. Filling the weakside role, at least for now, is veteran Brandon Short. But he is little more than an above average journeyman, while last year's third round pick, Gerris Wilkinson, has some serious credentials and may inherit the starting job even before the start of training camp. The search for a left tackle is going to be the most demanding. The veteran Bob Whitfield, who imploded down the stretch when he had to play for Petitgout, is no factor and may not even be offered a new contract. The rookie Guy Whimper, second of two fourth-round draft picks last spring, spent the first eight games on the Game Inactive list and the second half of the season on the active game roster, mostly as a special teams contributor. However, in the playoff game against Philadelphia, Emmons started and finished with a zero stat line -- no solo tackles, no assisted tackles, no sacks, no forced fumbles, no recovered fumbles, not even a quarterback pressure or hit. Clearly, his career had ended. , who had seemed to find a home at left guard, was moved over to the tackle position for the last game of the season and the playoff game to replace Whitfield. Whether he remains at left tackle is argumentative; he is a better guard than a tackle, and a better right tackle than a left tackle. But he still is the most experienced of the available offensive linemen. Reese didn't waste any time remaking the Giants' roster in his own image. Now it will take some time to see if he made the right choices -- and to see if he makes the right ones when he set out to fill the vacancies he created.. 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. NEW - Send a request to davesklein@aol.com for a free week's worth of news!
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