|
|
| E-GIANTS
By Dave Klein Pierce was not indicted when the Manhattan Grand Jury rendered its verdict Monday, which at the same time found Burress liable for two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one for reckless endangerment. Since Burress is no longer with the Giants, having been released last April 3, the focus was on the breath of fresh air given the team with the news that Pierce will not face any charges. Giants’ president John K. Mara, who spoke out strongly last week in Pierce’s behalf, was naturally pleased: "We certainly agree with the grand jury's decision. We said last week we felt strongly that Antonio's actions did not warrant criminal charges, and obviously the grand jury, having heard all of the testimony, felt the same way." General Manager Jerry Reese added: "Antonio is a leader on this team, but he is still human, and this has been an emotionally draining experience for him. We know he was happy to get to training camp yesterday, and with this behind him, he can focus all his energy and efforts on football. He took this matter very seriously. Finally, head coach Tom Coughlin: "As I said yesterday, we are anxious to start the new season, nobody more than Antonio. Today's decision allows him and this team to move forward and focus on our preparation for the season. There is some puzzlement at the decision in that Pierce transported the handgun in question across the New York-New Jersey state line and brought it to Burress’ wife, Tiffany (who also is a lawyer). It was thought that such an action constituted something of a criminal nature, but it was not seen that way by the Grand Jury. Pierce will speak to the media Tuesday after morning practice, as a member of the team’s public relations office explained. ... "He has been extremely preoccupied and concerned over this and he said he would like to sleep on it to compose his thoughts and decide exactly how to respond," the man said. EXTRA POINTS -- Somebody asked defensive end Osi Umenyiora if Monday felt special to him, seeing as how he missed all of last season with a knee injury. "Nope," he said, “I was here for this last year, but this is about all I got. Now I’d like to get to a regular season game. That’s going to feel special." Umenyiora was hurt in the third preseason game last summer – on Aug. 23 – and didn’t play a down during the 2008 season. This didn’t keep him from watching and rooting and then suffering when the Giants were eliminated by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the playoffs, their first game. "And it was done to us by the Eagles, and on our home field," he said. “Our goal was to go back to the Super Bowl and instead those guys took our home advantage and just strangled us with it." There were a few extenuating circumstances, of course, such as the absence of Osi and the handgun incident involving the since departed wide receiver Plaxico Burress (who was indicated by a Manhattan Grand Jury Monday on three counts of felony violations which could land him in the slammer for from three-and-a-half to 15 years). "No excuses," Osi said. “We came to win and we didn’t. Every team gets injuries." True enough, but not every team has its start receiver put a hole in his thigh and get suspended for the final five games (including that horrific playoff display). "You know, last year when I got to camp I thought the Giants had the strongest team I had seen in my time here [this will be his seventh season]," Osi said. "But this year it’s even better. I have never seen a team like this, a team this strong and this deep offensively and defensively." He paused and then shared a bright smile. "And I think we are extremely strong at defensive end," he giggled. He’s right, of course, since the Giants can claim Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka, Dave Tollefson and Maurice Evans, among others, at that position. Osi is not a huge man, even as far as defensive ends are concerned. He is 6-3 and listed at 261, though he looks even lighter. So how does he handle the gigantic offensive tackles and tight ends? "It used to be easier," he said. "They were great big guys but they weren’t that quick, so you could just get around them fast. Now they are outstanding athletes, and the huge guys are quicker and faster. It’s a challenge. I’m one of the quickest defensive ends in the league, I think, and [defensive line] Coach [Mike] Waufle works all during the off-season on new ways to deal with those monsters." Newly-signed weakside linebacker Michael Boley has been placed on the team’s Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, along with defensive tackle Fred Robbins. ... Boley underwent hip surgery during the spring and is expected back by the first or second week of the regular season although he will miss the first game – technically -- because of a one-game suspension ordered by the NFL for a domestic violence issue in May of 2008 when he was still with the Atlanta Falcons. ... Robbins underwent knee surgery at the end of the season and is not sufficiently healed. ... Defensive tackle Rocky Bernard is on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list with a pulled hamstring, which Coughlin noted “was surprising." Chris Canty, the defensive end-tackle signed last March from Dallas, will start out as Robbins’ replacement, and there is a suspicion that he might stay there for a long time. ... Former Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan McCardell, who played for Coughlin in Jacksonville, was at practice along with McDaniel College (Westminster, Md.) coach Alonzo Escalante, both part of the NFL’s Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship program. ... "Keenan told me several times that he was interested in coaching," Coughlin said. “He was such an outstanding receiver I’m sure he can pass on a lot of things to young players." 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!
| ||||||||
| Stop
in and visit "Mike's
Keys to the Internet" |
| |