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Special Report

Sent: 05-04-10

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.

Bits 'n pieces, pertinent and impertinent, all about the Giants . . .

By Dave Klein
A recent statistical study has concluded that Giants' Brandon Jacobs was the second most effective running back in the league in yards after contact, a statistic fans should consult more often. He gained 69.35 percent of his 835 yards after being hit, which translates into 580 yards of workhorse effort. ... Just think how good he'd be if he ran a little lower with shoulders squared to the line of scrimmage.

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Brad Benson, the one-time Pro Bowl guard who was part of the Suburbanites, the offensive line that took the Giants to their first two Super Bowls and is now the owner of Brad Benson Hyundai-Mitsubishi Motors in Monmouth Junction, N.J., has purchased a set of goal posts from the old Giants Stadium and Tuesday had them installed at his dealership. ... On hand were the other members of the Suburbanites - Billy Ard, Chris Godfrey, Karl Nelson and Bart Oates.

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Of the 27 "tryout" free agents invited to the Giants' rookie minicamp last week, only one was offered a contract. ... He is linebacker Micah Johnson, 6-2 and 238 from Kentucky. ... Another hopeful, Wondy Pierre-Louis, a cornerback (6-1, 185, Florida) suffered an "undisclosed" injury during the rookie workouts but the team said he might be re-invited once he heals.

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From E-GIANTS reader Elliot D. -- Well, it was an interesting draft for the Giants. Not sure if I like it, hate it or just want to wait and see. Probably the latter, since no team's draft can truly be evaluated till all the dust settles and they go to camp and strut their stuff. If after camp, some or all are still on the team AND may even start, we'd still have to see how they play under "game conditions" before making any final judgments.
Plus, there may still be some free agent signings and trades yet made before camp starts as well. Most fans don't see the entire picture/strategy the team may have mapped out until all is done. Most NFL drafts are judged heavily by the success of the first two rounds of picks - since they are the ones the team actually "needs to succeed" so those will really be the ones most scrutinized throughout this process.
Any other draft picks succeeding at the pro level are more a bonus than an expectation. I say [general manager] Jerry Reese has at least earned one more "grace period" year of seasoning by the new draftees before we (as fans) start moaning, crying and wringing our hands that the upcoming season is now a bust because the Giants "possibly" drafted poorly. There may actually be more diamonds than coal discovered in this draft group by Sept 2010. For our benefit as fans and Reese's as well, let's hope so.

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Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride on the team's shaky running game -- It has been that way since I have been here. Since Tiki [Barber] left - he was basically a one-man show --. we have had the two- or three-man rotations we have needed two or three men. And sometimes even with that we have been a little bit short. So am I nervous about it? Yeah. Do I think they are working as hard as they can to get themselves physically ready? I do. And we see a guy like Ahmad [Bradshaw] and know how tough he is -- coming back from having surgery on both feet and an ankle. And he is so excited that for the first time in a long time he has no pain. You can't help but feel optimistic that he is going to be able to last the whole season and give us some special performances. And then with Brandon [Jacobs], the fact that he was able to gut it out with the knee all year long, and not saying anything and not using it as a crutch, I thought spoke volumes about the guy.

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Wondering who will replace Jeff Feagles as the holder for field goal and extra point attempts? It could be backup quarterback Jim Sorgi, according to general manager Jerry Reese, or it could be another backup quarterback, Rhett Bomar - but he has to make the team first. In any case, not only are the Giants losing a great punter with the Feagles retirement but one of the NFL's most sure-handed holders as well. And you thought Lawrence Tynes already had enough problems, didn't you?

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Former Giants' safety Gibril Wilson, who walked away as an Unrestricted Free Agent to sign with the Oakland Raiders, and then walked again to play for the Miami Dolphins, is a free agent again and now seems ready to sign with the Cincinnati Bengals. It's not official yet, and it might change, but he needs a team and the Bengals need a safety and, well, it's not going to be a major headline but he can probably still play a little.

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From E-GIANTS reader Win T. -- It seems to me that the Giants definitely concentrated on addressing needs in this year's draft. The defensive line was terrible last season -- Fred Robbins was obviously over the hill while Chris Canty made no contribution. I thought the Giants' first pick would be a defensive tackle based on the poor showing by the incumbents last season.
As to selecting another safety in the third round -- there is little doubt that New Orleans exposed the pathetic state of our safeties in the first blow-out game of the season. I think the Giants are doing a fine job of insuring that this part of the defense is repaired and that if Kenny Phillips is not ready to return then the position will be manned by people who can play.
As to the offensive line I believe much of their success or failure will be determined by the ability of Will Beatty to take over one of the tackle spots. Should he become the left tackle then Dave Diehl can move back to right tackle where he has played well earlier in his career. It seems to me that the Giants played the draft correctly -- championship seasons do depend on defense.

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!

Previous Articles
Special Report
Sent:04-01-10

The Draft
Special Report
Sent:02-23-10

Offseason Update
Special Report
Sent:02-01-10

An uncapped season?
Vol 12-14b
Sent:01-20-10

Giants - Pro Bowl

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