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.

By DAVE KLEIN
Before we analyze the Giants' new secondary (still a work in progress), it would be of interest to point out that linebacker LaVar Arrington and his agents, the Poston (Carl and Kevin) Brothers, have apparently painted themselves into a corner.

The much heralded interest on the part of the Cleveland Browns has seemingly turned into smoke and mirrors. Miami long since withdrew from any serious negotiations. The only other "player" in this sweepstakes seems to be the Cincinnati Bengals, and there are two reasons why that probably won't work -- the team is among the least willing to spend money in the NFL and when head coach Marvin Lewis was in Washington, he and LaVar didn't get along well.

So the exceedingly talented Arrington, who willingly passed up $4 million plus to get out of his Redskins' contract, will not sign for anything close to what he had expected.

It is also starting to look as though he won't have much choice, and if the Giants maintain their interest -- albeit at a reduced rate compared to what he expected -- he'll be playing for them this season.

Oh, one other factor, which may not seem like much to you but seems to carry a great deal of importance to someone with a gigantic ego. Arrington has always worn number 56 on his jersey. It's "his" number.

But that number is retired here. Lawrence Taylor, you'll remember, made it famous. So LaVar is going to have to settle for some other number and he isn't happy about that.

When (and if) he does sign with the Giants, he'll find a secondary that will have undergone a 75 percent change in the identity of its starters. Cornerback Will Allen is as good as gone; the Giants will not offer the five-year veteran a new contract and he has started the interviewing process with other teams.

The other starting corner, Will Peterson, may or may not make it back to play this year. His recurring stress fracture of the transverse process (lower back) will make everything uncertain.

Free safety Brent Alexander either retired or was released (or was pushed into retirement). The only returning starter appears to be strong safety Gibril Wilson, who didn't have the greatest of seasons either. Ironically, the team's leading interceptor, with four, was Alexander.

So to remedy that bleak situation, the Giants spent last week signing all the veteran defensive backs they could afford, with the obvious disappointment generated by Buffalo's decision to slap the franchise tag on Nate Clements. They were going to make a big push on the 6-0, 210-pound five-year veteran.

So they signed one sure starter, Sam Madison from Miami, where he had spent all nine of his NFL seasons. The other corner should turn out to be Corey Webster, last year's second round draft pick.

In Alexander's place, you'll find Will Demps, a four-year veteran signed away from the Baltimore Ravens. He was their free safety for the first 11 games last year until suffering a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) on Nov. 27. The 6-0, 205-pounder was a walk-on at San Diego State and, in a sense, a walk-on for the Ravens, too. They signed him as an undrafted rookie and he became an immediate starter.

"Who can say they don't want to play here [the New York area]," Demps said. "I had two more visits scheduled after the one with the Giants, the Vikings and the Dolphins, but I decided this is where I wanted to be."

The other cornerbacks signed include R.W. McQuarters, who has had tours of duty with San Francisco, Chicago and, last season, Detroit, and Jason Bell, 6-0 and 185, a five-year veteran obtained from the Houston Texans. McQuarters is a capable journeyman who also returns kickoffs and punts. He could turn out to be the nickel back, or one of them, but it is unlikely that he'll compete successfully to become a starter. Bell has been used in nickel and dime situations and is a standout special teams performer.

Safety Quentin Harris (from Arizona) and cornerback Brandon Williams (off waivers from Atlanta) were also added.

Finally, the Giants re-signed veteran offensive tackle Bob Whitfield, backup quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, running back-kickoff return specialist Chad Morton and practice squad guard Lewis Kelly (who was activated for the final three games of the season).

If the Giants can't put together a secondary from all these new players, it might appear that they cornered the market on ordinary defensive backs. And don't forget to add into the mix their holdover veterans, cornerbacks Curtis Deloatch and Frank Walker and safety James Butler, a free agent rookie last year.

"We knew that we had to spend most of our efforts in these veteran signings addressing the defensive backfield," said general manager Ernie Accorsi. "Madison and McQuarters are veteran cornerbacks who have instantly upgraded out secondary. The two younger ones [Harris and Bell] will be in the mix with the young corners we already have to give us good depth back there. We wanted to upgrade our secondary during free agency to we can go into the draft with an open mind."

This would indicate that the Giants do not plan to spend their first round pick (25th overall) on a corner or safety. But on what, then?

There are the usual array of suspects -- running back, defensive tackle (perhaps most important with the defection of Kendrick Clancy to Arizona), outside linebacker (especially if Arrington sits home sulking) and an offensive tackle. On the other hand, it is difficult to take a rookie defensive tackle and expect too much right away (see: William Joseph), so perhaps one of the Weight Watchers rejects still out there -- Sam Adams and Grady Johnson, both "at least" 350 pound veterans -- would be a better idea.

It could come down to a linebacker or an offensive tackle, and that would make so much sense it just doesn't seem to fit, you know?

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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