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

COUGHLIN ADDRESSES THE WILL HILL MESS,
ROLLE EXPLAINS HIS REACTION TO THE EVENT
AND NO ONE IS UPSET WITH WILSON'S REPORT

By Dave Klein
East Rutherford, N.J. -- The Giants were going through their workouts (it was an OTA day) at one end of the massive Qwest field house and the media was clustered on the opposite end of the building; and had we known to bring binoculars, they might not have proven to help at all.

So guys were talking about the players they were going to interview after practice, out there on the patio of the building, and that worked out nicely. While listening to head coach Tom Coughlin and safety Antrel Rolle and second-year safety Cooper Taylor, someone asked Coughlin to clarify his reasons for releasing quarterback Josh Freeman, who had so much promise and whose signing just six weeks earlier had pleased the team so much.

Is Coughlin willing to go into the 2014 season with three quarterbacks (Eli Manning, Ryan Nassib and Curtis Painter, if something happens early on to Manning?

"Well, no, I don't want to go into all that now," he said. "I'll just say that we did a good job of assessing his ability. Eli has come along and is much more capable physically than we anticipated he would be. We practice once a day, and I thought we did a good job of evaluating [on Freeman]. Whether we go with three or four [quarterbacks], that's our business going forward. We're okay right now."

There was no thought that the Giants might sign Freeman simply to insure the health and condition of Manning, nor was there the idea that Freeman might be used to push Nassib, who was a rookie last season (fourth round draft choice) and who has looked like an outstanding selection.

Freeman showed up overweight and out of shape. He carried over his attitude from Tampa Bay and his brief sojourn in Minnesota, and if any head coach in this league has zero tolerance for being out of shape and carrying an attitude, it's Coughlin.

And that led to the inevitable questions concerning safety Will Hill and, more recently, cornerback Jayron Hosley. Hill was suspended for the first six weeks of the season and subsequently released by the Giants. It was his third suspension in three years concerning controlled substances. Remember Coughlin's zero tolerance here.

Hosley drew a four-game suspension, allegedly for marijuana, and while that isn't funny, his explanation to the NFL was. He blamed it on "second hand smoke," saying that he was in a car with others who were dabbling. The NFL guys refrained from giggling long enough to make his suspension stand up.

Coughlin was quietly furious. "Why did I cut Will Hill?" he responded to a question. "Because we're running a business here, and when you run a business you have to be able to rely and depend on people to be there when you need them to perform their duties. It's a sad day for both of those guys from my standpoint. The whole organization is disappointed that it went this way, and unfortunately it was the right thing to do."

Rolle, one of the team's leaders and most outspoken of the players, was quick to address and Hill tragedy. "Will was one of the most gifted safeties I've seen," he said. "To do what he did is foolish and puzzling. Obviously, I'm extremely disappointed. But I can't say it was a shock to myself. Will knew what situation he had put the Giants in, he kind of forced their hand. At this point in time you can't really depend on Will to do anything for us if you're repeatedly suspended, season after season.

"I spoke to Will; he and I had several chats about this. He's fully aware of what took place and what should have taken place. Every man has to be accountable for his own actions. I said it didn't surprise me but it stings, it stings. He is like a little brother to me, and as gifted as he is, for him to keep moving in the wrong direction is just not a good thing."

Coughlin also spoke to the condition of running back David Wilson, the No. 1 pick in 2012 who underwent neck surgery last year and has not yet been medically cleared to play. He underwent an MRI last Monday and while the results showed improvement, it wasn't all the way there.

"It was not a negative report," he insisted. "He's been doing almost everything. I mean, he was out there a week or two after the surgery. Right from the start, he acted like there was nothing wrong. He wants to do more. He wanted to do more. But we have to say no. We can't let him do more. I think he understands that."

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- Team Giants

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