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

By DAVE KLEIN
The Ballad of Ron Dayne is done.

The Giants' first round draft pick in 2000, who became increasingly more of a disappointment as his five seasons wore on, was not offered a contract by the team when he became an Unrestricted Free Agent last month and last Friday -- an April Fool's joke? -- he signed a contract with the Denver Broncos.

Thus the 11th player drafted that year, a mistake by the Giants because he never fit the roll they envisioned for him, will now take his fight to the thin air of the Rockies. Not all of his failure to perform was Dayne's fault, but that aside for a second; he earned tons of respect for how he conducted himself through all the disappointing seasons and the shoddy treatment he received from former head coach Jim Fassel.

It was Fassel who kept him on the Game Inactive list for the entire 16-week season in 2003, although he was not injured. Each week he extended hope -- "I still say that Ron Dayne is going to help this team this season," he was fond of saying -- and each week he was on the sideline in street clothes. Why? The obvious answer is that he was the only Giant not to take part in that spring's off-season conditioning and workout program, choosing instead to work on his own with a personal trainer.

"Look at it," he would say. "I'm the only one who didn't show up and I'm the only one who didn't play all season." He said it wryly, with a dismissive shrug. There was a lot to say about his dignity and composure.

Dayne, still the leading rushing in the history of the NCAA Division 1-A with 6,397 (and counting bowl games stands as the only player in college football history to gain more than 7,000 career yards (7,125), will have a difficult time making the Denver roster.

But at the very least, head coach Mike Shanahan has promised him a fair chance.

The Broncos traded leading rusher Reuben Droughns to Cleveland last week for defensive linemen Ebenezer Ekuban and Michael Myers, but that still leaves Tatum Bell, a star rookie in 2004, along with veterans Quentin Griffin, Mike Anderson, Kyle Johnson and Cecil Sapp.

"It's a chance," Dayne said. "I was never going to say anything critical of the Giants. I did my best and I enjoyed my five years there. But I am still determined to prove I can play in this league, and play well."

Dayne became the butt of jokes. "No Gain Dayne" was a nickname he had to live with. Guys would say: "Look, Dayne tripped over a yard line." He was constantly battling his weight, but he tipped the scales at 255 when he played at Wisconsin and there wasn't a better running back in the college ranks.

Four running backs were named in that first round, and Dayne was the third. The first was Thomas Jones (bust). Then came Jamal Lewis (superstar). And after Dayne it was Shaun Alexander (superstar).

"We didn't draft Alexander," said Fassel, in a watershed moment of incoherency, "because he runs too much like Tiki [Barber]." First of all, what would be wrong with that?Secondly, if Fassel didn't want another Tiki Barber, why was he still coaching this team?

It was suggested that had Dayne been drafted by a different team, he might have been far more successful. That is not necessary true, however. He is not a "big back," nor is he a "power back," regardless of his bulk. He has quick feet. He is better running wide. In fact, of all the backs coming out in that 2000 draft, no one had more runs of 40-plus yards than did Dayne.

So maybe he'll find some success in the thin Denver air. He made a lot of friends here, and earned a lot of respect. Maybe it's his turn now.

EXTRA POINTS -- Don't look now, but one of the best defensive tackles in the NFC East, Corey Simon of the Philadelphia Eagles, may be heading out of the division. ... Strong rumors put him in Baltimore for the Ravens' second round pick this year and third round pick next year -- or the reverse, which would be up to the Eagles. ... If the Giants do switch over to a 3-4 defense, they'll be the second team in the NFC East to do so. ... Dallas is already on record with plans to utilize the defense Bill Parcells so loved when he coached the Giants. ... Other teams in the NFL solidly behind the 3-4 include Miami, Cleveland, Minnesota, New England, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Houston and Oakland.

For those of you who hold 2005 season ticket subscriptions, you're probably aware that the Giants have raised the price again. ... You'll now pay $70 per seat for the upper and lower tiers and $80 for mezzanine. ... The team pointed out that the average gross ticket price last year of $66.93 ranked 14th in the 32-team league. ... There have been rumors that the team is contemplating a PSL (Personal Ticket License) fee as well, but that probably won't happen until there is a new or renovated Giants Stadium.

Finally, let's clear up a misconception. ... The Giants don't actually save salary cap space (money) by not having a first round draft pick. ... Oh, eventually they do, but the way the system works is that every team is allocated a "rookie pool" of money to account for seven (or more) draft picks, and if they aren't used it's, well, "no harm, no foul." ... And every rookie drafted is officially "tendered" an offer which is the rookie minimum salary; draft picks don't count against the cap until they actually sign contracts and the season begins.

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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