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 three sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls. Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

MOST OF THE GIANTS' PERSONNEL MOVES WILL HAVE A DOMINO EFFECT
ON WHAT THEY DO IN THE DRAFT AND FREE AGENCY

By Dave Klein
If you remember your high school physics class (right, I did lousy, too) you'll probably recall the rule that every action has a reaction.

This applies to the Giants and the draft and free agency, and here's how. If they allow defensive end Justin Tuck to walk away (and they probably will unless he settles for a lot less money) they'll need to bolster that position with a potential starter. Last year's rookie, Damontre Moore, doesn't seem likely to fill that role. Mathias Kiwanuka is acceptable but not explosive, while Jason Pierre-Paul is capable of being a superstar but has shown flashes and also tendencies to get hurt and need surgery.

So if Tuck goes, look for a defensive end high in the draft or, preferably, as a veteran free agent.

Conversely, what if the Giants can't reach agreement with defensive tackle Linval Joseph? That would, in this vantage point, a far greater loss, and would signal the immediate addition of a top quality defensive tackle. The others on the team are not capable of carrying that load. Jonathan Hankins might turn out to be valuable, but not in a spectacular way.

Wide receiver Hakeem Nicks appears destined to move on, but the void he would create won't be as serious. There is, of course, Victor Cruz. There are also Rueben Randle and Jerrell Jernigan and if someone could find a few others from among the reserves (Julian Talley?), the position will be adequately covered unless, of course, an injury appears.

Similarly, if a few of the linebackers disappears into the setting sun, then the Giants would need to take immediate steps. In the case of middle linebacker Jon Beason, that would be mandatory and might result in a first-round draft pick.

The offensive line needs a ton of help, and at the moment that's where the Giants are looking. Word is they are about to offer an engagement ring to Michigan's Tyler Lewan, who would be a right tackle, which would mean Will Beatty stays at left tackle and their Rookie of the Year, Justin Pugh, would move from right tackle to guard.

Got all that so far?

Of course, we are all aware of what general manager Jerry Reese is prone to do. He may well go for the infamous “best available athlete” and wind up with a cornerback or a safety or like that. The good news is that the team needs a replenishment at almost every position, so whatever he does is going to eventually work out.

If he picks the right kid, that is. Oh, and don't forget that your tight end is named Bear Pascoe. How's that grab you?

The Giants will draft in the 12th position of the first round, not a bad place to be no matter who they want because at least three of those first 11 picks will be quarterbacks. And if they take one of those, get the butterfly nets ready.

With regard to the free agents and the construction of the 2014 roster, general managers got a huge gift from the NFL Thursday - the salary cap when up a full five percent, from $123 million to $130 million.

What does this mean? Well, if guard Chris Snee is really done, that eliminates more money from the total salary cap, and it is expected that at one of the Tom Coughlin family meetings Snee and his father-in-law will go into a quiet room, light up a cigar or two and thrash out the rest of his career. Don't expect him back.

Tuck doesn't count in the camp at the moment because he is without a contract, but the painful one (read: expensive)belongs to center David Baas, who will probably be a June 1 release (it's cheaper that way). Quarterback Eli Manning will almost certainly take a salary adjustment, a contract extension, and he is likely to welcome that chance to help the team - other than cutting back on interceptions, that is.

What to do with safety Antrel Rolle? He's valuable and he's old. He's a team leader on the field and in the locker room and he is also expensive. Chances are they'll keep him, for at least one more year, while leaning on the others to provide help and support such as Stevie Brown, who missed all of last season.

Right now, the Giants show a salary cap space of $16.3 million with the unexpectedly large increase (hey, Reese, stop drooling) and the top 51 players currently on their roster earn a combined salary of $110.9 million. Deleting Snee and Baas and pushing Eli back would increase the number of dollars they have to spend.

It's a nice situation.

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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