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E-GIANTS By DAVE KLEIN Now the proof, as they say, will be in the pudding, and that puts the onus of performance directly on head coach Tom Coughlin, his staff, and the players. People around the league are talking, in sort of quiet whispers, about how good the team might be this season. They are saying things like, "that offense might score 30 points a game," and back it up with, "but will the defense do enough to make 30 points good enough?" The signing of middle linebacker Antonio Pierce from the Washington Redskins seems to have been one of those transactions that got hidden in the glamour of signing Plaxico Burress, the wide receiver, and Kareem McKenzie, the right tackle. But Pierce may turn out to be just as vital as those other two, especially since he earned the unwitting respect of several of the offensive players when the teams played their two games last season. He was mentioned by several of the offensive guys, who were surprised at his "take charge" attitude and behavior even though the Redskins had Lavar Arrington, once billed as "the next Lawrence Taylor," and several other high-profile players. The signing of Pierce will go a long way toward cementing the defense in place. The drafting (in the second round) of LSU cornerback Corey Webster will unquestionably push Will Allen to play better. The signing of Whitfield will motivate Luke Petitgout more than might be imagined. It is possible that Petitgout, if the overall caliber of his work doesn't show rapid improvement, might be the backup to both Whitfield and McKenzie -- and that's not a bad thing, you know? He is experienced at right tackle and he has played the last three seasons at left tackle. Perhaps he needs some time without the intense pressure of playing every game in order to put his skills back together again. Today was the first time the Giants' draft picks and undrafted rookie free agents got together on the same field, the start of a three-day minicamp. By the time the survivors run onto the field in September as members of the final 2005 roster, the team will display several major changes from the squad that limped home at 6-10 last year in Coughlin's first attempt at being the Giants' head coach. It is possible, considering his stern visage and military disposition, that he will be on trial as well. Men like that don't get repeated extensions if they don't win, and everything he stands for and believes in revolves around winning. He will not choose favorites and accept their indiscretions, with the possible exception of tight end Jeremy Shockey, and even in the case of this talented but off-the-wall young man, the act will grow tired and the patience will grow thin unless he produces instead of prances. JACOBS, PART TWO -- A few more words about the fourth round draft pick, running back Brandon Jacobs. You know that old adage that if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true? New information retrieved from statistics gathered at the Combine workouts: He checked in at 6-4 1/8 and 267 pounds. He was clocked (legitimately) in 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash... He had a 37-inch vertical leap and bench-pressed the standard 225 pounds 19 times. Equally hard to believe was his time in the "takeoff," the 10-yard start of the 40-yard dash -- a phenomenal 1.55 seconds -- only Kansas State running back Darren Sproles was timed faster of all the athletes at the Combine, and he clocked in 1.53. On the other hand, Sproles is 5-6 1/8 and weighs 187 pounds. So why was this phenom allowed to linger until the fourth round? Well, he attended Southern Illinois University, not exactly your hot-bed of football frenzy. Of course, he had been at Auburn in the backfield with Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams, which is why he left in the first place. E-GIANTS wondered why he chose to go to SIU, which is a Division 1-AA school, instead of attempting to hook up with another NFL magnet like Oklahoma or Tennessee or Florida State or all the rest. Obviously, he would have received tons more attention had he run through and over those best-of-the-best defenses. Immediately, responses appeared via e-mail wondering whether it had been forgotten that had Jacobs transferred to a Division 1-A school he would have had to sit out a year. Really? Does it not seem logical that to sit out a year and earn first round status and the accompanying millions that come with it might be worth a year off from football at the age of 20? "I thought about it," Jacobs said yesterday at the Giants' rookie minicamp, "but I decided that if I was going to make it in the NFL, why not go for it right away?" "Do you think you lost a bunch of money by not playing this year for one of the big schools and likely becoming a first round pick:" He shrugged. "We'll never know," he said. "I'm here now and the Giants have things [like short yardage running] that they want me to do. That's good enough for me." Anyway, if he isn't too good to believe but a case of what you see is what you get, then the Giants did a great job. Time will tell, and today was the first step in determining exactly what he has and what the team might expect. EXTRA POINTS -- It would appear that former Giants' wide receiver Ike Hilliard will sign a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ... Oh, and the thought that the Giants drafted Jacobs to once and for all dispel the memory of Ron Dayne seemed to be underlined when he put on his new uniform -- number 27, just like Dayne wore. ... "It was my number in high school and college," Jacobs said. "It is my number." No one argued. 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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