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
GIANTS OPEN TRAINING PROGRAM WITHOUT SHOCKEY, BURRESS

The Giants opened their off-season training and conditioning program yesterday, and guess who didn't show?

Right, tight end Jeremy Shockey and wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who were asked specifically by head coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning to make every effort to take part in the five-week program so that they could all get on the same page for training camp.

Right, deaf ears is the phrase for which you are searching. Shockey, a University of Miami product, has always taken part in that south Florida camaraderie session in which former Hurricane players and others of indeterminate origin do their own workout program.

Hey, they don't need to get more comfortable with Manning. He's going to be there for a while (the Giants just exercised a "buy-back" option which will keep him in place through 2012. It includes a $5 million "buy-back" option as well as a $3 million roster bonus, and includes a $6.45 million base salary for this year, $8.45 next year and $8.95 for 2009).

Moreover, considerable research has shown that, at least statistically, he is ahead of John Elway, Phil Simms, Troy Aikman and his older brother Peyton over his first three seasons, has been spectacular in the red zone and has 48 touchdown passes the last two seasons.

Fine, he's here and you might as well get used to him. But without Shockey and Burress spending as much time as possible with him, how much does that take away from the potential to continue growing?

And you thought Coughlin was a disciplinarian who could make players do what he said by intimidation?

Hah!

"We get more done," Shockey once said about his decision (and subsequent recruitment of Burress) to stay with the Miami program. Sure, but without the quarterback who want to throw the ball to you all season, the same kid you have publicly ridiculed or dissed when his throws weren't to your satisfaction.

EXTRA POINTS -- The Giants reportedly have expressed an interest in a gigantic fullback named Vonta Leach, 6-0 and 250 from East Carolina, an Unrestricted Free Agent from Houston (who spent his first year as an undrafted rookie in Green Bay). ... Does that mean a full-out return to the ball-control offense that made the Giants successful years ago? Hey, if that's true, who needs Shockey and Burress, right?

Everybody denies it but the results are nearly unavoidable.

Players with minimal talent, those elusive Unrestricted Free Agents, have been rejecting offers made by the Giants and signing elsewhere.

Do we know why? Wasn't the New York area once the prize catch for a player on the make? Didn't they all want to play here, to soak in the endorsement opportunities and the enormous fan base?

Well, maybe it's because the Giants are perceived as a bad team. But then how can you explain the decision made by running back Dominic Rhodes who left the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts to sign with the worst team in the NFL, the Oakland Raiders, after playing hard-to-get with the Giants?

And he isn't the only one. There have been recent votes of "no confidence" displayed by such as linebacker Cato June, wide receiver Kevin Curtis, running back Travis Henry, guard Matt Lehr and even their own one-time first round draft pick, running back Ron Dayne.

Thus far, another once-upon-a-time Giant, offensive tackle Mike Rosenthal, hasn't said he would return. In all fairness, it isn't known for sure if they have asked him yet, although they did have a conversation with his agent last week.

So what's going on?

It might be the stink raised by the now-retired Tiki Barber, who publicly dissed the head coach and the coaching staff. His well-known accusation that the Giants were "unprepared and out-coached" apparently was heard around the league. Also, there's no telling how many of them have actively sought out Tiki, who as the world knows by now loves to talk.

And Coughlin is in what must be assumed to be a "lame duck season," since the team re-signed him only for one year. Apparently, players don't trust lame-duck coaches, especially when the team appears to be moving in a downward spiral.

So right now, the new Giant is running back Reuben Droughns, acquired in a low-level trade with the Cleveland Browns (who signed UFA running back Jamal Lewis) for wide receiver Tim Carter, who wasn't really going anywhere but getting there very fast, as speed seems to have been his only real asset.

Where are the linebackers the Giants needed? The offensive tackle? The defensive tackle? How about a wide receiver? Let's play a game, who do you like as the backup tight end, Darcy Johnson or Jason Randall? Right, exactly.

Oh, the NFL is said to be ready to release its 2007 schedule -- on ESPN April 5. ... Golly, can they sell anything else? How about the injury report? ... How about players' telephone numbers? ... Defensive tackle William Joseph did show up at the workouts, despite his history as a product of the University of Miami. ... Maybe he realizes it's now or never, and maybe being around is a good way of making it now instead of never.

And right, there are still plenty of veteran free agents out there, some of whom might even help the Giants. … But when, guys, when?

NOTE TO E-GIANTS SUBSCRIBERS -- You're getting the first part of E-G 9-87 today, to mark the opening of the team's off-season training and workout program. ... Can't let those big, bad daily newspapers get a jump on us, you know? ... The second part will be transmitted tomorrow (Tuesday), which is the usual off-season schedule. ... But as always, if something happens to warrant more correspondence during the week, we won't wait until Friday. ... Then again, we never do.

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!

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