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E-GIANTS By DAVE KLEIN Jared Lorenzen, a year late but still clearly of interest to the Giants. He is the 6-3, 290-pound ("we don't talk about my weight; I'm not going to tell you what it is unless the coaches agree," he said) quarterback from the University of Kentucky, who was undrafted and resented it last year. "I thought maybe I'd get a chance to be drafted," he said, "but one of the things I have learned in life is to expect the worst. But things are better now. I'm geared up, ready to take part in the competition." You will remember Lorenzen, the Pillsbury Throwboy who had such a fantastic college career -- and in the same SEC that housed Eli Manning and Mississippi. "Oh, please," he said, "don't put me on that Eli pedestal. I watched him in his senior year. He does things I could never do." Still, Lorenzen was a four-year starter for the Wildcats, and completed 862 passes for 10,354 yards and 78 touchdowns. Such achievements cannot go unnoticed, and the Giants, out of nine teams that offered him a free agent contract, landed him. For a few weeks, anyway. The left-handed quarterback showed up for the rookie minicamp in early May and then, abruptly, went home. "It was a lot of things," he said yesterday. "I had things I needed to take care of, personal things, family things. It's better now. It's all resolved. And I'm just happy the Giants wanted to give me another chance." He paused, almost as if for effect, as the crowd of reporters in a feeding frenzy joined the group. "It was never that I didn't want to play," he added. "I love football. It was just a bunch of things that all came together at once." So Lorenzen didn't play at all last year, the first year in a long time that he didn't take a snap and throw a football. "I watched games every Sunday, every Monday night," he smiled, "and I even went to the Giants' game in Cincinnati [his hometown] last December. That's where I live. No, they didn't know I was there. I just sat in the stands and watched." Lorenzen knows his assignment now. "First of all, I'm working on my weight," he says. "I am down. I will keep the weight number to myself for now, and when I feel right I'll know I'm at the weight I need to reach. I am also realistic about my chances here. There are three of us, maybe four if they add another quarterback in the draft, all competing for the second and third job. I understand that, and I understand I'm the last one in [at least so far]." There is Manning, who will be the starter. There is veteran backup Jim Miller, who assumes the Kurt Warner role this year. There is Jesse Palmer, who recently re-signed and will attempt to at least keep his third quarterback designation. And there is the Throwboy. "I'm up for it," he said. "I learned how to rededicate myself to this game and learned how much I missed it. I'd started throwing again about six months ago. I'd go to the local high school and just find anybody I could throw to, send 'em out and put the ball in the air. That was great, therapeutic. Then about a month and a half ago I found out that the Giants wanted me to come back, and that was a very nice thing to hear." There was some talk of Lorenzen being sent to the NFL Europe league, but he said that, when given a choice, he preferred to work out with the team he's trying to make all spring. "It made a lot more sense to me." So he's here, still "chunky," let's say, but clearly less than the 290 pounds which made him the heaviest quarterback in the nation in 2003. Several E-GIANTS subscribers have e-mailed the same thought: "If Lorenzen comes back, how could he fail if given the ball on third and one?" Put to him, he smiled. "I did the quarterback draw a lot in college," he said, "and I was successful about 95 percent of the time [or about 90 percent more than Ron Dayne was]. In fact, I had about 300 yards rushing in college, which is pretty good for a quarterback because they count sack yardage against you." Still, if it's third and one and Eli comes out and Jared comes in, what is a defense expected to expect? "Yeah, but stopping me is something else," he smiled. You gotta like that in a quarterback. EXTRA POINTS -- Punter Jeff Feagles, who swapped his jersey number (10) with Eli Manning last season in return for a family vacation trip to Disney Land, has done it again. He has number 17 last year, which was the number wide receiver Plaxico Burress wore in Pittsburgh. ... So now Feagles is wearing number 18. ... In return for what? ... "An outdoor kitchen," he said, speaking of his home in Arizona, "and for the really hot days, it even has a mist-er, which brings the temperature down about 15 degrees." ... Then he smiled: "Maybe I'll put up a sign at my locker," he said. "You know, Number For Sale." The Giants released one of the Unrestricted Free Agents they signed last spring, guard-tackle Barry Stokes, obtained from Cleveland. ... He started the first exhibition game but then didn't play at all after that and underwent back surgery that landed him on the Injured Reserve list Sept. 5. ... The team also waived wide receiver Tony Johnson of Penn State and punter Eddie Johnson of Idaho State, both signed earlier this year to NFL Europe. ... But neither player made a roster in that league, perhaps an indication that they might not have what it takes to make it in the NFL. Former Giant safety Johnnie Harris, who was with the team in 2002 and 2003, played in 58 games (and started 14) was signed recently by the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League. ... Former Giant running back Ron Dayne has had tryouts with Miami, Tampa Bay, Arizona and Jacksonville but as yet has not signed a contract. 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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