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E-GIANTS By DAVE KLEIN The bad news is that the Giants still haven't heard from linebacker LaVar Arrington, and it is pretty much unthinkable for them to go into the season, much less training camp, with the linebackers they have listed as starters. They are, incidentally, Antonio Pierce in the middle with Reggie Torbor on the strongside and, in case Nick Greisen signs elsewhere, Marcus Lawrence at the weakside. Of course, they could put Torbor on the weakside (at least he has experience) and then open up the strongside -- which might mean retaining veteran Carlos Emmons, something not thought to be very likely a month ago. But if Arrington signs, then he'll play one of the outside spots and Torbor, until he proves he can't do it, will start at the other position. The only known factor here is Pierce in the middle. Come on, guys. Get off the spot. A little news was made yesterday. With the heart-breaking loss of Keyshawn to Carolina (you would have thought John Fox would have known better), the Giants celebrated by re-signing their ostensible third wideout, Tim Carter, to a two-year, $2 million contract (as in $1 million a year). It includes, it is said, a $500,000 signing bonus, but it's probably more like $250,000 now and the other half next spring, assuming he makes the roster (and stays healthy for a full season). There are probably some incentives built in, like catching a few passes and not missing more games than he plays. In all fairness, however, Carter made it to the field in 15 of the Giants' 16 regular season games, catching the astronomical total of 10 passes for 186 yards, an accomplishment which caused the team statisticians to announce that he led the Giants in average-per-catch. Sure he did, slightly more yards per catch than Plaxico Burress managed with his 76 receptions for 1,214 yards -- "only" an average of 16 yards per. It might be added that if Carter was going to be re-signed, it clearly waited until Keyshawn went south. Had the legend-in-his-own-mind agreed to accept the Giants' offer, Carter might not be the subject of tonight's lesson plan. But things are what they are, and now it's going to be Carter -- again -- competing with the equally disappointing Jamaar Taylor, special teams stud David Tyree and a bevy of relative unknowns, such as Harry Williams (6-3, 195) who was awarded to the Giants on waivers. He had been the New York Jets' seventh-round pick in 2005 and released, signing with Green Bay (from where he was waived). And for those of you who thought the re-signing of backup Tim Hasselbeck ended the search for a quarterback to hold Eli Manning's lunch tray, a report has surfaced that the Giants have been making preliminary inquiries as to the availability and interest -- not to mention monetary requirements -- of former Miami starter and Jets' backup Jay Fiedler. His agent, Brian Levy, has confirmed minimal contact between the two parties. If true, this signals two things -- Jared Lorenzen is gone and so, too, might be Hasselbeck by the time the season starts. Fiedler was a reliable performer wherever he went, missed the chance to start with the Jets when he was hurt an amazing seven plays after Chad Pennington and his shoulder went separate ways, and might be the answer the Giants need. There is little or no confidence inspired by the thought that Hasselbeck might be the starting quarterback in case the unthinkable happens. At least Fiedler has had that experience. The Giants also announced that they released running back Chad Scott and guard Enoch Demar, neither of whom should have been implanted in your memory banks. EXTRA POINTS -- Offensive tackle Jon Runyan, one of the several who should wear "Property of Michael Strahan" T-shirts, was re-signed by the Philadelphia Eagles after investigating his value on the free agent market. He made visits to several teams, including the Jets, and there had been some early reports that he was interested in the Giants. He's good, and he's huge (6-7, 335) but he's also 35 years old and an 11-year NFL veteran. Only three defensive backs played in all 17 games last season (yeah, we have to count that no-show playoff embarrassment) and two of them are gone. Free safety Brent Alexander either retired or was released (more to come some day) and cornerback Will Allen is gone to Miami. The third was strong safety Gibril Wilson, and amazingly he's still on the team and still healthy. From E-GIANTS subscriber Robert V. -- "I sat down to write about how Harry Carson was a good player and all that but that he also deserves to have his jersey [number] retired. To me there are two criteria for retiring someone's number. First, and obviously, they must have been a great football player, not just great but a notch above. What better measure of that than to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I am of an age where the less stellar Giants team of the 1964-1980 period were endured year after year. We knew Harry was something special but we weren't sure if it was just in comparison to the mediocrity of the rest of the team. "Second, the person should be identified with the team, an ambassador of sorts for the team. In short, someone who should be remembered for all they did for the Giants, not just on the field. As a fan, I am proud that he is associated with us, and was for his entire career. He was the Phil Simms of our defense, a class act who demanded excellence from those around him. Each one of them, in fact, deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. So now Harry is in the Hall and his number is being used by others; Phil is not in the Hall but his number is retired." 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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