July 12 Eli's not going to change," Archie Manning said Friday at the Manning Passing Academy, a weekend-long instructional camp for 1,000 players grades 9-12. The event has brought the patriarch of football's first family and his sons together since Eli was in high school. Eli was a camper for the first few years and Peyton a young counselor on summer break from Tennessee. Archie, who never pressured his sons to be football players, recalled being unsure whether Eli attended the camp out of love for the sport or a sense of obligation to family. "I couldn't tell whether he had fun or not, whether he really wanted to be there. I think he knew he was expected to be there." Today, the baby of the family is a camp instructor who weighs nearly 230 pounds, stands 6-foot-4 and owns a newly made Super Bowl ring that he earned in a dramatic 17-14 victory last February over the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
Eli Manning pulled even with his brother Peyton in number of Super Bowl rings this past February, but the youngest of three Manning boys still recognizes his place in the pecking order. "I'm not trying to compete with Peyton," Eli said. "I'm trying to get to his level of play. He's at the top of the list of quarterbacks in the league, in my opinion. He's number one, he's playing better than anyone." Nobody was playing better than Eli at the end of last season, though, as the former Newman standout and Ole Miss product helped lead the New York Giants to their first Super Bowl victory since 1991.

Madden 09: Redskins make the playoffs, Giants not. IGN.com, those nice people who review video games, ran a simulation of the 2008 NFL season using Madden 2009. Surprise! Surprise! Madden has the Redskins making the playoffs. The IGN folks ran one simulation. That makes their results a fun read, but don't bet the rent money.

Giants' Plaxico Burress Scores Touchdown at Bookmark Shoppe. There were men, women and children of all ages in line, all hoping to get a glimpse of, or perhaps a handshake from, a true Super Bowl hero. Burress came to the Shoppe to sign his new book, "Giant: The Road to the Super Bowl," a volume about his life, but mainly about the season leading up to this Super Bowl victory. And, of course, the famous catch.
Burress incorrectly outs Giants as Super Bowl cheaters. In his new book, Giant: The Road To The Super Bowl, receiver Plaxico Burress attempts to comply with the publishing industry's stone-tablet "Thou Shalt Create Controversy" mandate by creating the impression that the Giants wrongfully concealed the knee injury that Burress suffered in a hotel shower several days before catching the championship-winning touchdown pass against the the Patriots. In doing so, Burress overstates the extent to which the Giants covered up the condition of his knee.

WFAN Audio with Plaxico Burress

Plaxico Burress's Book - First Chapter

 

Replacing Kawika Mitchell will not be easy for the Giants this season. Danny Clark's signing received so little fanfare this offseason it was reminiscent of the Mitchell signing in 2007. At the time it wasn't considered a major move since Mitchell had been on the open market for some time before signing. It turned out to be just that, though, as Mitchell started every game and finished the season with 87 tackles, 3.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. Gerris Wilkinson has all the physical tools and a lot of promise. Chase Blackburn has already proved his worth to the team as a reserve in the middle and on special teams. Wilkinson is probably the guy the Giants front office would prefer to win the job since they have been grooming him for the position since they drafted him in third round out of Georgia Tech in 2006.

NFL News
Brett Favre not only wants to play again, he wants to do it for a new team. The league's only three-time Most Valuable Player has asked the Packers for his unconditional release in a letter, according to ESPN.
Despite the desire by Favre to have things end amicably with the Packers, this situation could get ugly. Favre remains under contract and has three years remaining on his deal, for a total of $39 million, and he at present is on the reserve-retired list.

July 11 Justin Tuck knows things will be different both on the field and off for the Giants New York Giants now that Michael Strahan Michael Strahan is a broadcaster. "You can't just replace Michael Strahan," Tuck said. But that doesn't mean he's not going to try to fill some of the void.

One of the potential problem spots on the Giants roster was their depth behind starting offensive tackles David Diehl and Kareem McKenzie . That issue was resolved yesterday in an interesting way, as the Giants agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Shane Olivea, a talented player with a troubled past. Olivea, 26, is in the prime of his career but the Chargers released him in February, even though he started 57 of 60 games in his four years in San Diego. The NFL last month suspended Olivea for the first four games of this coming season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
Olivea, who grew up in New York, had a successful workout with the Giants and will add to the depth at the position. OLT David Diehl and ORT Kareem McKenzie are expected to keep their starting spots, but the team's depth is a little thin after not drafting or signing another tackle this offseason.

The 2008 edition of the Giants should be an exciting thing to watch. While a repeat of the 2007 season may be unrealistic, the Giants will find a way to compete with a very competitive NFC East. The Giants lost a lot of key defensive players, and replacing them will be a difficult task. Now that they are off the hook on Michael Strahan's salary, they should look to lock up Osi Umenyiora to a long-term contract.

Last year the Giants proved the old axiom: You can never have enough cornerbacks. Five different cornerbacks started games for the Giants, and there were five different starting combinations. While such inconsistency at a key position on defense is certainly not ideal, it gave a lot of players a chance to show the coaching staff their stuff.

The Fifth Down's editors are introducing a periodic feature: the first chapters of recently released football books. The first entry is from Giant, the Road to the Super Bowl, by Plaxico Burress, with Jason Cole. Among the chapter's highlights: how close Burress came to missing the Super Bowl because he slipped in the shower, how he and the Giants tried to conceal the injury, and how one of the defining moments of the Giants' remarkable victory happened before the game -- when Burress chose to receive another painkilling injection. (After reading about the litany of injuries he endured last season, it's easier to understand why he refused to practice at minicamp last month.)

    

July 10 The Giants are a better football team with tight end Jeremy Shockey, wide receiver Plaxico Burress said. Shockey was the subject of offseason trade talk after Kevin Boss's performance in place of the injured former first-round draft pick during the Giants' run to last season's Super Bowl championship. "People say we're better off without him," Burress, 30, said in an interview with Bloomberg Radio's "On the Ball" program. "I say those people don't know the game of football, how hard this guy goes out and competes every Sunday."

The Giants this season have a number of important positions that will be determined by performance at training camp. Leading up to camp, Giants.com reporter John Schmeelk will analyze six of those battles. Part 1 is safeties.

Four outlets predict a different winner of Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla. Athlon predicts the Cowboys beating the San Diego Chargers; Lindy's predicts the Indianapolis Colts defeating the Cowboys; Pro Football Weekly predicts the Patriots downing the Cowboys, and the Sporting News predicts the Chargers topping the Cowboys. Somewhere, Giants quarterback Eli Manning is smirking.

July 9 NFL-USO tour Day 1: Touching down in Baghdad.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, joined by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, are participating on a seven-day, three-country summer USO tour led by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen. Pete Abitante, special assistant to the commissioner, is accompanying the group on the trip and will file daily updates. All told, the commissioner, Osi and Drew made contact with 500 soldiers at this first stop.

July 8 Plaxico Burress played last season despite ailments that included a severe ankle injury, a torn ligament in his pinkie, a separated shoulder and a sprained knee suffered days before the Super Bowl - when he slipped in the shower. The wide receiver feels he deserves a raise that would reflect his status as one of the top wideouts in the league.
Back on June 11, the towering receiver shocked the Giants by declaring he made a "business decision" to not take the field for the mandatory mini-camp until he received a new contract. He also strongly insinuated he would not work during training camp unless more money came his way. No deal has been signed just yet, but Burress anticipates something in the next two weeks.
Plaxico Burress did plenty of signings Monday, for people who had just bought his new book. Burress hopes to put his name on something else very soon - a contract extension. He seemed optimistic about that after this appearance. "I hope so," he said when asked if he thought the Giants would extend his deal. "That's the goal. I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to finish my career here and end up being a New York Giant and I think it's going to happen."

Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora arrived in Iraq yesterday as one of the two players NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell picked to accompany him on a history-making seven-day, three-country summer USO tour, led by the Joint Chiefs chairman, Admiral Mike Mullen. Umenyiora and Saints quarterback Drew Brees shook hands with hundreds of troops, signed autographs and tossed around a football in 110-degree heat.

Yes, the wildcard NY Giants got hot when they needed to and won the Super Bowl. Good for them. But now we start over. So our first NFL top 10 - pre-camp edition - has the G-Men sixth. And, as was the case last season, they're not even the best shot from the NFC East to get to the title game. That would be the Cowboys, but you already knew that, Dallas fans. They already had the most talent in the NFC. Then came that big defensive boost from signing Pacman Jones and drafting Mike Jenkins. Still, the top spot goes to the: 1. New England Patriots. Tom Brady. Coach Hoodie. Don't have to like them. Sooooo have to respect them.

July 6 The new stadium, as yet unnamed, will seat 82,500. The Giants' plan is to designate 90 percent of the new seats as the least expensive PSL, $1,000. That would be a one-time charge and the fans would, in effect, own the rights to the seats and be able to sell it for profit.
History of Giants' Stadiums - After calling four different stadiums home in their first 50 years in the NFL, the Giants moved into Giants Stadium in 1976. The idea of playing at a stadium built in the Meadowlands first attracted the Giants' attention when they realized that they could provide 15,000 more seats and help meet the increasing demands of the fans without a major switch in location. Giants Tickets  -  Buy or Sell.

Manning's incredible scramble and throw, followed by Tyree's now-legendary 3rd down catch against his helmet, kept the winning drive alive and enabled the Giants' 17-14 victory against the previously undefeated New England Patriots, making his the most famous helmet in Super Bowl history. The Sports Museum of America (26 Broadway, New York, NY) will display the helmets, which are on loan from the Giants through the summer before they permanently move to The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH this fall.

July 3 The New York Giants were nominated for six ESPYs in this year's sixteenth annual ESPN awards show. The Giants nominations came in for Best Upset (Giants-Patriots), Best Team, Best Game (Super Bowl XLII), Best Play (David Tyree's Catch), Best Coach-Manager (Tom Coughlin), and Best NFL Player (Eli Manning). The 2008 ESPYs co-presented by HUMMER and Under Armour, hosted by Justin Timberlake, will be televised Sunday, July 20 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN HD.

NFL News
A video recap of the 2007 season kicked off the 12th annual NFL rookie symposium on Sunday. Nearly every NFL team was featured and the finish was exactly what we remembered, with the Giants hoisting the Lombardi Trophy high as winners of Super Bowl XLII.

July 2 What goes through Michael Strahan's mind when he hears the word "retirement?"
"It's relief," Strahan said. "I feel like I can breathe. One door closes and another opens. One life is over and I just gained a new life. Now I have more time to be with my family and do things I love doing. For 15 years, I didn't have that. I was grateful I didn't have it, because it allowed me to play for the NY Giants and that allows me to do what I can do now. I was grateful for 15 years not having summers off and taking a beating during the season, but now it's time to move on and let other guys have that. I'm going to live through guys like Osi (Umenyiora) and (Justin) Tuck."

July 1 Retired defensive end Michael Strahan knows the Giants have good young talent to help offset his departure from the field, but nobody seems to know who the team's next leader will be - not even Strahan. Who will deliver the pre-game speech? Who will invigorate the sideline or fire up the huddle? "I'm looking forward to seeing Antonio (Pierce), possibly. Osi (Umenyiora), possibly. Shaun O'Hara, possibly. I mean there are some guys who are going to step up and be more vocal."

Giants Team Report - In a pair of intriguing moves, the Giants released reserve quarterback Jared Lorenzen and extended the contract of starting right guard Chris Snee.

June 30 Jerry Reese took time while visiting home from his current residence in New Jersey on Saturday to speak to about 300 listeners about his journey from rural West Tennessee to playing college football at the University of Tennessee-Martin to becoming the man in charge of the front office of the defending Super Bowl champion Giants.

On Thursday, Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch notified season ticket holders via e-mail that personal seat licenses - the dreaded PSLs - will be sold in the new $1.6 billion stadium that will be shared with the Jets. For financially strapped families, many of whom have been ticket holders for decades, the e-mail amounts to a termination letter. The good old days are officially over.

The Giants - and soon, the Jets - tell us that PSL money will be applied to the cost of their new ballpark. Funny, when you and I, already living in a reasonably nice home, can't afford to buy one of those nice, big, new ones, what do we do? We don't buy it! We stay put! We don't buy what we can't afford. Imagine that! Remember, PSL holders, when the Jets and/or Giants have a decent year, more of their home games - in exchange for your ransom money - instead of being played at 1 p.m., will be played, in exchange for TV money, on Sunday and Thursday nights. Yup, in November and December, too.

June 28 Eli Manning is only 27 years old, so he has a lifetime of fantastic experiences ahead of him. But for milestone achievements, extraordinary opportunities and sheer enjoyment, it will be hard for the Giants' quarterback to top the first half of 2008. Manning's most recent highlight - a cooking demonstration/competition with famed New Orleans chef Emeril Lagasse - was the feature event at An Evening with the Mannings at the glittering new TelCom Center in downtown Jackson.

Former Giants
Michael Strahan, the NFL sackmaster, will be raising hell on Sunday, when he kicks off the third annual Michael Strahan/Dreier LLP Charity Golf Tournament. The event, which benefits Children's Rights and Keep a Child Alive, begins with an Alicia Keys concert at Tao and concludes with a golf outing at Century Country Club in Purchase on Monday.

June 27 Over the next few years, New York-area fans will settle into several comfy, new, state-of-the-art sports palaces. Nice. But make no mistake: It will cost you. The latest evidence came yesterday, with the Giants' announcement they will sell personal seat licenses to help finance a $1.6-billion stadium they and the Jets are building in the Meadowlands.
The one-time fee, called a personal seat license, can be paid in three installments, the first due later this summer and the last in March of 2010. The team said the fee for most seats will be $1,000, but it can be as much as $20,000 depending on where the seats are, and the only exclusions are suite seats. The fee will allow the ticket owner to transfer or sell ownership to anyone, not just direct family members as is now stipulated.
Dear Giants Season Ticket Holder: As the Giants prepare to defend the Super Bowl championship, and with construction of a new state-of-the-art stadium and team practice facility well underway at the Meadowlands, these are exciting times for Giants fans.
Seat Allocation Process - Giants Stadium LLC is finalizing the details of its seat allocation process for all current Giants season ticket holders, as well as those on the Giants' waiting list. Giants Stadium LLC expects to publicly announce the complete pricing packages next month.
The Waiting List - The Giants waiting list remains the same and fans are encouraged to remain on the list in order to participate in the Ticket Exchange Program.

June 26 One of the Giants' priorities entering the offseason was to ensure that their formidable offensive line will stay together for the foreseeable future. They took a big step toward realizing that goal with the announcement that right guard Chris Snee has signed a six-year contract extension. Snee, entering his fifth season, has played his entire career for the Giants, who selected him on the second round of the 2004 draft.

June 25 Strahan: Giants should dump Shockey - Michael Strahan was 30 minutes into his new career being paid to express opinions, and he wasted no time showing his willingness to do so. What does he think the Giants should do with disillusioned tight end Jeremy Shockey? "He doesn't want to play here; that's obvious with everything that's going on," Strahan told Newsday yesterday after being introduced as the newest cast member on "Fox NFL Sunday." "I don't think you gain much by keeping a guy around. Regardless of how well he plays for you, there's always that tension, and that's one thing you can't have if you're expected to go back and repeat." Strahan added Shockey might do his job well, but that doesn't mean he would be happy.
Strahan made his case for Plaxico Burress deserving more money and a new, renegotiated, Giants contract. Strahan said there is no management "loyalty" in pro football and no guaranteed NFL player contracts either. "So, the players have no rights," Strahan said. Johnson, saying the "guarantee" comes in the form of an up-front, lump-sum payment, jumped down Strahan's throat. "Hey Michael, that's bull," Johnson said. "That's bull." The exchange continued. Bradshaw joined the party. "Look at what you told us two years ago when you signed that large contract," Bradshaw said. "'Hey, I got $18 million in the bank, baby.'"

Strahan, who just signed a $2 million-per-year deal with Fox Sports and was introduced yesterday as the newest member of the network's NFL pre-game and post-game shows, insisted that, like he did with football, he "just fell into" TV. The Fox executives believe the loquacious Strahan, who was believed to be courted by CBS, NBC and ESPN, is a perfect fit for Fox. "This has been the only person we've seen in the last 15 years to be worth extending the desk for," Fox Sports chairman David Hill said of Strahan. Added Ed Goren, the president and executive producer of Fox Sports: "Our ability to get someone from right off the field who is a Super Bowl champion and who is current is a wonderful asset to the show. Michael fits in with the personality of this group." That group includes Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson, Howie Long and host Curt Menefee.

Let's see now -- the Jets have a very disgruntled tight end, Chris Baker. The Giants have a very disgruntled tight end, Jeremy Shockey. Hmmmm. That gives me an idea. It's crazy, but it just might work. Actually, it probably wouldn't. But that doesn't make speculating about it any less fun. What would happen if the Jets and Giants swapped unhappy tight ends? Shockey knows about having to be at meetings five minutes early, or else you are considered late. But would he appreciate perhaps being asked to name every Jets' player in the Weeb Ewbank Hall auditorium on the first day of training camp? Eric Mangini has been known to spring such pop quizzes on players, especially rookies and other newcomers.

With Plaxico Burress unhappy with his contract and Jeremy Shockey upset with just about everything, the Giants took care of another potential headache yesterday by continuing to invest in their offensive line. As first reported by The Star-Ledger on NJ.com, the Giants and right guard Chris Snee have agreed in principle to a six-year extension through the 2014 season, according to two people familiar with the progress of the negotiations. The people, who requested anonymity because the deal hasn't yet been signed and announced by the team, didn't provide financial specifics but said Snee will be among the five highest-paid guards in the NFL, which means the contract is worth about $7 million per year.
Snee's extension means the Giants have each of their starting offensive linemen -- together for the past two seasons -- tied up through at least the 2011 season, when center Shaun O'Hara and right tackle Kareem McKenzie would be in their final contract year. Left guard Rich Seubert is signed through 2012 and left tackle David Diehl through 2013. Snee, the son-in-law of coach Tom Coughlin, has been the team's most consistent lineman since being taken in the second round of the 2004 draft. He signed a six-year deal (with a base salary of $2.39 million for this year) that allowed him to opt-out after his fifth season.

QB debate: Breaking down the Romo vs. Eli Manning argument. Eli Manning and Tony Romo have both played enough in the past two seasons to compare their production. While Romo has been in the NFL longer, Eli Manning has been on the field longer. Some categories can be compared head-to-head while others will be discussed by percentages. My intent is not to direct you to decide which man is the best player, but to help you decide which guy you like more and at least have some facts to back up the opinion in case you run into a Cowboys/Giants argument over the summer.

The Giants announced the signing of three more of their choices in the 2008 NFL Draft. Linebackers Bryan Kehl (fourth round) and Jonathan Goff (fifth) and quarterback Andre' Woodson (sixth) joined the team's other sixth-round selection, defensive end Robert Henderson, as draft choices who have signed with the team. The Giants' top three choices -- safety Kenny Phillips of Miami, cornerback Terrell Thomas of USC and wide receiver Mario Manningham of Michigan -- remain unsigned. All players are scheduled to report to training camp a month from today.

June 24 Backup quarterback Jared Lorenzen was waived by the Giants on Monday, a little more than a month before the Super Bowl champions open training camp. The Giants also waived receiver Todd Lowber, long snapper Nick Leeson, defensive tackle Brian Soi and offensive lineman Jacobs Hobbs -- all first-year players. Lorenzen's status had been a question mark since the Giants signed veteran David Carr as a free agent and drafted Andre Woodson, who, like Lorenzen, played at Kentucky.
Known as J-Load, the Hefty Lefty and even the Pillsbury Throw Boy, Lorenzen said during minicamp earlier this month that he was aware his tenure with the team could come to an end. "You hope that you show enough," he said of being one of five quarterbacks on the roster, with only four advancing to training camp in Albany this summer. "You hope that you have enough promise and enough stuff behind you that you can go to camp and show what you can do there." Lorenzen's dismissal leaves the Giants with Eli Manning, Anthony Wright, David Carr and rookie Andre Woodson at quarterback. They'll compete for three likely roster spots.

Eli Manning went through mini-camp earlier this month with Plaxico Burress on the sidelines thanks to unhappiness with his contract and Jeremy Shockey not even on the field, followed by reports that the tight end got into a shouting match with GM Jerry Reese. As if that wasn't enough, another integral part of the Giants' Super Bowl run last year, Ahmad Bradshaw, is currently serving a 30-day sentence in a Virginia jail for a probation violation stemming from an incident that occurred when Bradshaw was a juvenile. In the meantime, Manning continues to insist that none of these situations will hurt the team's chances of defending its title this season.

Just how badly was Plaxico Burress injured in that fall in the shower before the Super Bowl? Burress had what looked like "a golf ball attached to the inner side of my left knee," a day after the accident and nearly five days before kickoff. That's what the wide receiver writes (with Florida-based writer Jason Cole) in his forthcoming book, "Giants: The Road to the Super Bowl." A quick read through the Giants-related chapters in a review copy reveals how he suffered the sprained MCL in his left knee; that his various injuries were worse than what he admitted following the game; and that he's never been happy with the six-year, $26 million contract (with an $8 million bonus) he signed with the Giants - whom he chose over the Vikings or Eagles - in 2005. (David Tyree's Book - More Than Just The Catch).

Former Giants
Michael Strahan signed with Fox Sports as an NFL studio analyst, SI.com reported yesterday. The Associated Press reported that Fox will make the announcement at a news conference today. After 15 seasons and seven Pro Bowls, Strahan will join host Curt Menefee and analysts Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson and Howie Long on the network's pregame show, Fox NFL Sunday.
Tiki Barber may not have a Super Bowl championship ring, but he now has an ice cream flavor named after him. Tikitacchio was one of 16 flavors unveiled during yesterday's grand opening of Last Licks on the Upper East Side. Barber cut the ribbon surrounded by customers and Giants fans. The latter group will be relieved to hear Barber does not believe the off-field issues facing the defending Super Bowl champs will have any effect on the upcoming season.

June 23 New York is suffering the Super Bowl hangover that can infect a team sometimes for an entire season. It can happen anywhere, but when a team from New York wins something, there is a tendency to overdo it. But the reality is that if the Giants have taken full advantage of the New York media market to capitalize on their Super Bowl, the status of their troubles is much exaggerated, too. And that's why they still go into the 2008 season as the favored team. Not the Cowboys.

June 22 Less than a week after his retirement announcement, Strahan relaxed in his friend Marc Dreier's airy office on a sunny afternoon, talking about the charity golf tournament he's sponsoring with the lawyer's firm later this month - and the next chapter of the Michael Strahan story. So far, life after football is pretty good, Strahan, 36, said in an exclusive and free-wheeling interview with the Daily News.

Former Giants
George Martin has reached the end zone, completing a 3,003-mile cross-country walk to raise more than $2 million for ailing Ground Zero heroes. This true Giant, all 6-feet-5 of him, strode into Embarcadero Park North in San Diego yesterday after a journey of stamina and discovery that began last Sept. 16 in New York and averaged 22 miles a day.
George Martin went through 24 pairs of shoes and lost 40 pounds before finishing his cross-country walk Saturday, raising $2 million along the way for sick 9/11 rescue workers.

NFC East News
Donovan McNabb knows how hard it is to make it back to the Super Bowl the season after playing in one. If anyone knows the kind of potential drama the Giants face this summer with disgruntled Rosenhaus players Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress, it's McNabb.

June 21 The Giants' competitions at wide receiver and returner added another contestant today when the team signed second-year pro Craphonso Thorpe. The Giants claimed Thorpe off waivers after his release earlier this week by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The team also announced it has signed the second of its two sixth-round draft choices (No. 199 overall), defensive end Robert Henderson of Southern Mississippi, and waived defensive back Miguel Scott. The transactions leave the Giants' roster at 86 players. That includes their other six draft choices, all of whom are unsigned at this point.

The NFL is looking into whether Ahmad Bradshaw has violated the league's personal conduct policy and is subject to suspension. The Giants' running back has been in a Virginia jail since Sunday, serving a 30-day sentence for violating terms of a probation stemming from an undisclosed juvenile offense - a violation that, several sources say, took place prior to his being drafted last year.

Rookies Tour Hall of Fame - The old saying goes, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." The 19 Giants rookies were given a chance to avoid falling victim to that credo when they visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio earlier this week. The group, led by Director of Player Development Charles Way, took a tour of the facility conducted by Hall of Famer Michael Haynes.

Former Giants
His body is no stranger to punishment and grind. George Martin, after all, spent 14 years playing professional football. But at age 55, he put it to the test again. Because people he considers to be true heroes are hurting. The former New York Giants defensive end began walking across America eight months ago to raise money for rescue workers who rushed to ground zero on Sept. 11, 2001, and are now suffering myriad illnesses - including lung disease and post traumatic stress disorder.

June 20 The checkered past of Ahmad Bradshaw, which scared so many teams away from him in last year's NFL draft, has landed him in a Virginia jail for 30 days. The .Giants running back, who emerged as a valuable weapon toward the end of his rookie season and was the leading rusher in Super Bowl XLII, is in the Abingdon Regional Jail on a probation violation charge.
Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw has been in a Virginia jail for the past five days because of a probation violation -- not because of any recent incident -- according to a statement released by his lawyer, Charles A. Stacy, yesterday.The Giants, in a statement released yesterday, said Bradshaw's "situation is not the result of any recent incident. It stems from an issue that occurred prior to Ahmad being drafted by the Giants."
Graham High School football coach and athletic director Doug Marrs said Bradshaw might be a victim of a jealous individual. Marrs, who was Bradshaw's assistant coach at Graham, said he received anonymous hate mail after the school recently retired Bradshaw's number. "It's just a childhood incident, that is all it was," Marrs said last night of Bradshaw's undisclosed juvenile transgression that resulted in his probation.

If defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo approves the shifting of SLB Mathias Kiwanuka back to defensive end, it won't be permanently. "He can do both," the coach said. "In fact, he did both last year. When we need an additional pass rusher, we know Kiwi is there, and I think we're stocked with enough defensive ends to take up the loss of Michael Strahan."

Former Giants
George Martin has collected contributions from famous friends like his former Giants coach, Bill Parcells, who donated $10,000. Other donors with league ties include former Giants coach Jim Fassel ($25,000), Patriots VP of Player Personnel Scott Pioli ($2,500), USC coach Pete Carroll ($1,100), and former Giants Harry Carson, Mark Bavaro and Phil McConkey ($1,000 each). While A Journey for 9/11 will likely fall short of its $10 million goal, three New York-area hospitals are matching donations with medical services.

Stadium News
The beer of the Jets and Giants will remain Budweiser. Anheuser-Busch has signed a contract to become the second major sponsor of the new Meadowlands stadium for the Jets and Giants of the NFL.
The stadium -- being built just northeast of Giants Stadium, which will be demolished after the 2009 NFL season -- is the most expensive in league history.
The stadium will be one of the most advanced sports and entertainment complexes in the world, pulsing with a state-of-the-art infrastructure that will enable the teams to take advantage of new technological developments well into the future.

NFC East News
Eagles coach Andy Reid admitted last week that he was shutting Donovan McNabb down for the last three days of his team's final passing camp with slight tendinitis in his throwing shoulder.
Redskins don't seem to have much to accomplish this offseason with all 22 starters back from a playoff team. Except for the fact that first-time coach Jim Zorn didn’t replace the retired Joe Gibbs until Feb. 9.
Cowboys want injury protection against Terry Glenn's surgically repaired right knee and have barred him from practicing with the team until he signs the waiver. And if doesn't sign it the team will likely cut him. Glenn plans to call their bluff.

June 19 University at Albany Announces 2008 New York Giants Training Camp Schedule. The Giants, who have trained on the UAlbany campus since 1996, begin workouts on Friday, July 25. The camp concludes on Sunday, August 17. For the third consecutive year, Giants training camp will feature eight evening practices. The first night practice is slated for Monday, July 28, at 6:10 p.m. All eight sessions are preceded by a morning workout at 8:40 a.m. The other day-night workouts are scheduled for July 28 and 30, plus August 1, 3, 5, 10, 12 and 15. Training camp opens with morning and afternoon practices on July 25 and 26.

June 18 As the Michael Strahan era officially ended last Tuesday and many looked back at a great career, one New York Giant was thinking about the future. Mathias Kiwanuka's world just got a little bigger. Like most fans, the Giants knew this day was coming, but the writing was on the wall even before Strahan's late arrival at training camp last summer. That's why the team drafted Kiwanuka, a defensive end out of Boston College, in 2006. At the time, defensive end didn't appear to be an immediate need worthy of a first-round pick, but the Giants knew that Kiwanuka's athleticism, non-stop motor and work in the film room would find a spot in their lineup.

June 17 The Giants' currently have 86 players on their roster (including the seven unsigned draft choices, which means six of the players on the roster today will be waived as the draft choices are signed). The players are scheduled to report to training camp at the University at Albany on July 24. One position that will almost certainly see changes is at quarterback, where the Giants had five players working in the mini-camp. We'll go out on a limb and say Eli Manning will still be on the roster when camp opens. The other four are holdovers Jared Lorenzen and Anthony Wright and newcomers David Carr and sixth-round draft choice Andre Woodson.

Former Giants
Ernie Accorsi, former NY Giants general manager, has been hired as a consultant to the NFL and will co-chair a new general managers advisory committee.

Stadium News
MetLife on Monday became the first of five major sponsors for the new Meadowlands football stadium, gaining "cornerstone sponsor" rights for the southeast corner of the stadium.

NFC East News
2008 NFC East Preview
Dallas Cowboys (12-4), New York Giants (11-5),Washington Redskins (9-7), Philadelphia Eagles (8-8).

June 15 The grass in the Mannings' front yard took years to recover. Archie Manning used to stand on the steps and try to fling the football just out of his sons' reach in a game they called "Amazing Catches." The boys would have to make diving, one-handed grabs. If it was a rainy day, even better -- though not for the lawn. The only problem was that Archie, the former New Orleans Saints quarterback, was too accurate.

There's a business side to winning a championship, as the Giants are beginning to realize. It can be ugly, and it's derailed many title defenses before. Just look at what happened to the Giants this week. First they lost a Hall of Fame defender when Michael Strahan retired. Then Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress staged minicamp protests. Shockey's protest - in which he refused to come to the practice field - turned real ugly when he got into a shouting match with GM Jerry Reese last week.
Giants must get rid of Jeremy Shockey before training camp. Shockey must go. And there doesn't seem to be any doubt he wants to go. They should get back on the phone with Saints coach Sean Payton and hope he still wants the player he coached as a rookie to provide firepower for Drew Brees. The Giants have lost their leverage with teams knowing they have no choice but to trade him. They must get rid of him before training camp or risk his bad attitude poisoning the locker room.
The Giants are a better team without Shockey - for months I have been scoffing at that theory, which was based on their run to the Super Bowl title without their starting tight end. But my opinion changed drastically in the past nine days, ever since Shockey showed up for a personal appearance in Flushing Meadows last Saturday. Once he started spouting about the Giants spreading rumors about him - and did so with such conviction - you had to start wondering if he was destined to punch his ticket out of town.
Giants coaches and players have done a smart thing recently by punching holes in the perception that the team is better without Shockey. "I think that is demeaning to both players, to Eli and to Jeremy," says Giants tight ends coach Mike Pope. "To think that one player has to be out of the picture before another player can surface, that is ludicrous."

The ball carrier had nothing but open field in front of him. He thought he was going to score. Until the defensive end came all the way across the field to make the tackle. The crowd cheered as the tackler rose to his feet, seemingly ready for a fist pump, a high-five or perhaps a flex of his biceps. But this was 1979, and little Michael Strahan, playing his first Pop Warner game at age 8, hadn't quite perfected his post-tackle celebrations. As he came back to the huddle, tears streamed down his cheeks from behind his facemask. "Are you hurt?" his coach asked.
"No, I'm not hurt," Strahan said between sobs. "Then why are you crying?" "I ain't crying. I ain't crying." The only person who understood was Dad. "That was his way of handling the joy of what he had accomplished," Gene Strahan recalled the other day by phone from his home in Texas. "He did that quite a bit. He grew out of that." And into one of the best defensive ends in recent NFL history.

Michael Strahan is a highly sought-after TV player. There appears to be competition for his services, which could drive up his price. The honchos ain't paying for vanilla. They are not paying for Strahan to cut any team slack. When NBC first asked him to comment on the Giants during the 2007 preseason, Barber was candid - offering his now-famous comments about Eli Manning's leadership ability, or lack thereof. Barber was unfairly vilified for his commentary. He should have been applauded. Barber was doing his job. Doing it darn well. Will Strahan have the onions to be as critical of the Giants? He better.

Five years from now, Pro Football Hall of Fame voters should have quite a job on their hands. Assuming the outstanding players who have announced their retirement this off-season remain retired, then one of the best Hall of Fame classes in league history could be in the making. Giants standout Michael Strahan leads the way, with his 15-year all-New York career ending this past week when he announced his retirement. Just a few months ago, the quarterback whose team was beaten by the Giants in the NFC title game also announced his retirement - Brett Favre.
Sports talk radio and football Web sites already are buzzing with speculation that the Class of '13 might be the Hall's best ever. They're even wondering which greats might not make it in on the first ballot. Top players retire from the NFL every year, and the league's popularity never seems to skip a beat. But football just won't be as much fun without Favre, Strahan and Sapp - players whose exploits on the field were exceeded only by their ability to yap off it.

June 14 Final minicamp practice report. Play of the day: QB Anthony Wright's pass was tipped by a nimble DE Renaldo Wynn. Phillips then made a diving INT attempt, but the ball bounced off his hands and back up a few feet. Boss swooped in, grabbed the ball and started running upfield.
That screeching you heard was the tires of the veteran players as they peeled out of the Giants Stadium parking lot. Even Tom Coughlin seemed to be anxious to get vacation rolling, calling practice off about 25 minutes before it was scheduled to end.

Jeremy Shockey and Giants general manager Jerry Reese got into a huge shouting match during the tight end's "visit" to minicamp, which concluded today at Giants Stadium. This goes with the theory Shockey helped develop last Saturday that his problems with the Giants are not involved with football but with off-the-field issues.
The Giants entertained offers from the Saints earlier this spring about a trade for the tight end. Shockey is said to be unhappy with his role in the Giants' offense and would like to be either traded or assured a larger place in the passing game.
One Giants player knows what's best for Jeremy Shockey right now. "He's angry. I just want to give him a hug," the player, who asked to remain anonymous, said yesterday after the team wrapped up its three-day mandatory minicamp. "But I'm just trying to stay out of his way." Sounds like the whole organization could use a group hug sometime in the next 40 days before players report to training camp in Albany, N.Y., on July 24.
That's the day the Giants' open defense of their title, although Coughlin will say the work has already started. That's the message he gave the team as it left for vacation. "The thing that I have told our team, and if you are really trying to settle on some kind of theme, is that we are not satisfied with winning," Coughlin said. "We are not satisfied with that. We have a lot of things to improve upon, and that is the attitude that we are going to take into camp."

Last Saturday, Shockey blamed the Giants for leaking stories about his unhappiness and made it clear that bitter feelings remain. What's not clear is whether he still has any desire to play for the Giants. "I don't specifically have a way to address that at this time because Jeremy's been very adamant about avoiding any public discussion about the situation," Rosenhaus said. "The best thing I can say about Jeremy's situation is that we are talking to the team about some of the issues that exist and we hope to get that resolved."
As for Burress, Rosenhaus added, "We're not trying to antagonize the Giants. I think everyone knows Plax has been battling an ankle injury. He didn't practice most of last year because of the ankle and it was just a carryover. The bottom line is I'm very confident Plax will be healthy and ready to go for the start of the season." Which, at this point, can't come soon enough. Shaun O'Hara, an offensive captain, yesterday said that his comments the previous day were misinterpreted and that he wasn't criticizing Burress for not practicing.
Shaun O'Hara said that when he said "You're either with us or you're against us" and "I think there's a right way to do things," he was speaking in general terms, not about Burress' "business decision" to not practice until he gets a new contract. Nor was he speaking about Jeremy Shockey's decision not to join his teammates on the field. The media, according to O'Hara, totally misinterpreted what he said.

The Giants officially placed defensive end Michael Strahan on the reserved-retired list, adding $4 million to their salary cap. General manager Jerry Reese said the roster spot probably would remain open since the Giants will have to cut players as their draft choices sign to maintain an 80-man limit. While none of the seven picks has signed, he said he did not expect any problems.

Know the old cliche about the Super Bowl champion absorbing their opponent's best shot every week? Antonio Pierce doubts it applies to the Giants. The team's stellar middle linebacker has a strong sense that the Giants are not as highly-regarded or respected as recent titlists. Although the Giants outscored the seemingly invincible and previously undefeated New England Patriots, Pierce's offseason discussions with other players indicate the Lombardi Trophy was secured though cosmic forces or good fortune instead of talent and tactics.

Transcripts: June 13, 2008  -  Steve Spagnuolo, Eli Manning, Kevin Gilbride, Tom Coughlin.

June 13 Jeremy Shockey, the disgruntled four-time Pro Bowler, remained away from the practice field once again yesterday in what is an apparent protest about the Giants' reluctance to change his role in the offense or trade him. When asked if he was okay with Shockey's absence on the field, coach Tom Coughlin said, "Of course not." Shockey's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has said Shockey is unable to practice as he continues to heal from a broken leg. With Shockey's tactics and his private insistence that his sit-out could continue into training camp and perhaps into the regular season, the possibility the team will enter the 2008 season with Kevin Boss and Darcy Johnson as their top tight ends seems to be growing.
Jeremy Shockey is not physically ready to practice in this week's mini-camp, but the four-time Pro Bowler has still contributed to the team. Shockey, who continues to rehabilitate the fractured fibula and ankle injury he suffered last December, has attended all of the tight ends meetings and continues to be a mentor for young players like Kevin Boss and Darcy Johnson. With Shockey sidelined, Boss and Johnson have taken most of the tight end reps in the mini-camp. Their performance has demonstrated that if Shockey does make a healthy return, the Giants will be deep and talented at that position.

Day Two of the three-day minicamp. The defense spent most of the early part working on blitz timing and fits. The quarterbacks were throwing into a lot of traffic. In some cases it worked out. Check the 11-on-11 snaps.You'll notice that the guys who are vying for the QB spots in Albany aren't exactly getting a ton of reps. Of all of them so far, I'd have to say that Wright looks the best. And I'm still a little unsure of Carr. How someone can look frazzled in the pocket during 7-on-7 drills is a bit alarming, but maybe he still has some flinches to get out of his system from his tough time in Houston.
Two INTs for LB Chase Blackburn, who was the morning's MVP for filling in at two LB spots and coming away with his pair of picks. On the first one, he dropped deep on a pass from Manning that was intended for WR Michael Jennings. The way the ball came out, it looked like Manning saw Blackburn at the last minute and tried to squeeze it as he delivered. The second one came on another good zone drop. He just hung underneath a crossing route and grabbed a ball from Lorenzen.
In the afternoon Osi and Tuck returned to their active roles and were stationed at the ends of the defensive line. Pierce was still sidelined with his back (although he performed in a few drills) and that meant the LBs were Blackburn flanked by Kiwanuka and Kehl. Corey Webster also participated. The focus of the practice seemed to be on press coverage -- how to apply it and how to avoid it. There were a number of drills in which defenders were locked up on receivers.
TE Darcy Johnson hauled in a pass on a deep in and managed to hang onto it while wrestling with LB Bryan Kehl and Butler. A few plays later, TE Kevin Boss caught a TD from Eli Manning. And Shockey...well, he remained indoors, of course. Rookie WR Mario Manningham had a chance at glory on a pass in the back of the end zone. But the ball went through his hands as he tried to make the leaping catch. Nice INT for CB Kevin Dockery toward the end of practice.

Shaun O'Hara offered biting words to teammates who have been expressing their displeasure through inactivity during this minicamp. "You're either with us or against us," the team captain said in reference to the here-but-not-here ploys of Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey. Neither player has participated in any of the on-field action this week.
For the second straight day, Burress and Shockey seemed to fit the latter category as they both continued their minicamp protests. Shockey again declined to come to the practice field, much to Tom Coughlin's dismay, and he didn't explain his reasons for staying inside. And while Burress was there, he again declined to participate until his contract is redone.

O'Hara's pointed comments came shortly after coach Tom Coughlin spent a second straight day discussing a little football and a lot of Shockey and Burress. Until Wednesday afternoon, Coughlin actually believed Burress was on the sidelines because of bum ankles that plagued him last season. The coach only later learned Burress sat out because of a "business decision." "I was not aware that that was going to happen when we came to this minicamp," Coughlin said. While Burress briefly did calisthenics and later watched from the field wearing a hat, jersey and shorts, Shockey was nowhere to be found. Kevin Boss, who started at tight end after Shockey broke his leg in Week 15, said Shockey has attended tight-ends meetings.
Burress drew O'Hara's ire on Wednesday, when he took some of the spotlight off the also unhappy Jeremy Shockey by telling reporters that he wasn't pleased with his contract and didn't intend to take the field until he was satisfied with a restructured one. That didn't change yesterday and drew a pointed response from O'Hara. "I think there's a right way to do things," O'Hara said. "And I've always felt that, as a player, you go out there and you put your best foot forward and as long as you're giving 100 percent effort every time, you'll be taken care of."
Some organizations are better at that than others. Meanwhile, not all Super Bowl winners have fallen in love with themselves and flat on their faces, either. The Patriots, Broncos and Cowboys have repeated during the cap era, but Tom Coughlin is making sure the Giants know all the history. "I think it depends a little bit on the team," said the coach. "There was statistical information in an article we made sure everybody got a copy of. Once we get to camp, that will be well understood."

June 12 First, one of the greatest players in the organization's history retires on Monday. Then, Shockey shows up but stays inside the building and pouts. A few hours later, Burress says $10 million over the next three seasons (after being paid $15 million over the first three years of his deal) isn't enough and hints he might hold out of training camp late next month. Oh, and news breaks yesterday that the Super Bowl rings for the Giants' staff members were stolen last weekend from a jewelry store in Massachusetts. Boy, this has been some week for the defending champs. And to think, there are still two more days to go.
At present, Shockey's behavior is a more glaring issue for the Giants, particularly since it seems that coach Tom Coughlin has already grown weary of dealing with Shockey-related issues, and it's only June 12. Every single player on the roster was at Giants Stadium yesterday, and every single player but one came out on to the field for the morning workout. Only Shockey stayed inside. Coughlin began his press briefing by making mention of his desire to talk about "my team'' and "the players on the field,'' his tone clearly indicating his displeasure with the subject he knew would be coming. Later, when asked if Shockey had a medical reason for not joining his teammates - including several others who were injured and not taking part in the drills - Coughlin said, "No, not really.''

Who knows what's bugging Shockey? Among other things, his pride was damaged when the Giants went on their Super Bowl run without him after he broke his leg in the 14th game. There's plenty of speculation that he wants out. Until yesterday, his only contact with Tom Coughlin was exchanging text messages. They apparently are on each other's Fave Fives. Shockey did show up for minicamp, a mild surprise, but then remained behind in the locker room when the team practiced instead of supporting his teammates from the sideline.
Shockey and Burress have done their part to liven up the storylines and make coach Tom Coughlin's skin crawl as he begins the Herculean attempt to pull off a rare Super Bowl repeat. Shockey showed up yesterday - despite speculation he'd continue his months-long absence - but made himself scarce. He's still is far removed from being recovered enough from his ankle injury to participate in practice, but he was nowhere to be seen for the Giants' two-a-days. Even the injured players typically show up to watch practice.
Just because the Giants won once without Shockey doesn't mean they can do it again, or that they should try. Eliminating this presumed cancer also would be eliminating about 11 yards per catch, which, though about five yards less than Shockey wants it to be, is still a number not immediately replaced by the less-athletic Kevin Boss.

On a day when Jeremy Shockey's discontent was supposed to be the main plotline, Burress stepped into the disgruntled spotlight. After a series of questions about his injuries, Burress was asked a rather innocent question: Will you be ready for training camp? He provided a rather pointed and unexpected answer. "We hope so," he said. "Me and my agent are trying to get this deal done for the future so I can remain a New York Giant and we're just not happy with the way things are going right now. That's basically the main reason why I'm not out there." Come again?
We interrupt the ongoing and very real Jeremy Shockey saga to bring you the newest controversy to hit the Super Bowl champion Giants: Plaxico Burress yesterday refused to practice because he wants a new contract and vowed not to set foot on the field until he gets one. Burress said talks with the Giants and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have been ongoing for two months, with little progress.
Asked if he'd sit out training camp if he doesn't have a new deal by the time it opens on July 24, Burress said, "I guess we'll have to see what happens when it comes around. I've got a pretty good idea what I would do." Burress' agent, Drew Rosenhaus, confirmed that he's been negotiating with the Giants on an extension to the six-year, $25 million contract Burress signed in 2005. And he also said he's "hopeful of getting something worked out here in the near future."
Burress, 31, didn't sound so hopeful when he chose to vent his frustrations after the morning practice. Perhaps some of that came from seeing a slew of receivers get new contracts this offseason, including Randy Moss (three years, $27 million), Terrell Owens (three years, $27 million extension), Javon Walker (six years, $55 million) and Larry Fitzgerald (four years, $40 million). Burress insisted he didn't pay any attention to those deals, but when asked if he should be paid like one of the top receivers in football, he said "I don't see why not."

Plaxico Burress isn't the only Giant unhappy with his contract. Osi Umenyiora would love to see his six-year, $41 million contract extension redone. However, the defensive end says he is not going to create any controversy this summer. The Giants already have their hands full with a disgruntled Jeremy Shockey. Now they have to worry about Burress, who said Wednesday that he will sit out minicamp practices and perhaps more to negotiate a new deal. Umenyiora could have added to the Giant headache but the affable Pro Bowler said he is going to take the opposite route and practice while talking to Giants brass. "I will be in camp," Umenyiora said. "I'm not going to hold out. My situation is a little different."

Thieves broke into a jewelry company over the weekend and stole up to $2 million in gold, gems and other valuables, including Super Bowl rings made for Giants staff members, authorities said. The thieves disabled the alarm system at E.A. Dion Inc., cut a hole in the roof and made off with a safe that weighed at least 1,000 pounds. The Super Bowl rings made by the company were to be given to the Giants' staff members to commemorate the team's win over the New England Patriots, team spokesman Pat Hanlon said. The players and coaches had already received their rings last month. The staffers were to receive identical ones - white gold rings with the "NY" logo set in diamonds and "World Champions" emblazoned in raised letters. They were designed by Tiffany and Co. and have a retail value of $25,000 each, the team said.

Moving Forward - The Giants have plenty of room to improve. Although everyone rightly remembers their superb play in the postseason, some flaws were exposed during their 10-6 regular season. The Giants began to address those deficient areas during their six OTAs (organized team activities), are continuing in mini-camp and will resume when they begin practicing at the University at Albany on July 25. "I think there are areas that obviously we have to improve upon and that is what we are out here working on," Coughlin said.

June 11 On May 29, while John Mara was waiting for his car outside of Tiffany & Co. in Manhattan after the Giants' Super Bowl ring ceremony, he watched Michael Strahan get into a Rolls-Royce limo with his girlfriend. "I thought to myself, 'I don't think we're going to see him running wind sprints in Albany this August,'" the Giants president and CEO said yesterday. "'His life looks pretty good right now, so maybe he's not coming back.'"
Ideally, Mara would like Strahan to stay in uniform, because, "We know he can still play at a high level." But Mara couldn't dispute the timing of Strahan's decision. "It's not often you get to see a situation like this where a player gets to go out on his own terms, still healthy and on top of the world," Mara said.
Of course, he knows he could've continued his career. Co-owner John Mara told him as much in their phone conversation on Monday morning. "I said to him, 'You can still play at a very high level,' " Mara said. " 'You know you can still play this game.' But he just felt like it was time."

Strahan then thanked the fans, saying he hopes "they've enjoyed the last 15 years as much as I have. And I hope they enjoyed the Super Bowl as much as I have as well." Strahan said he received messages from Cardinals DE Bertrand Berry, Texans DE Amobi Okoye and other players, as well as "messages from basketball players, from baseball players, hockey players, business men, garbage men, movers, I mean from everybody I pretty much have met." Now that Strahan is retired, his No. 92 jersey is next, right? Well, maybe not.

The Giants will head into next season with the goal of getting better, not winning another Super Bowl, quarterback Eli Manning said Tuesday. "We've said we're not going to talk about repeating or doing that, just becoming a better team," he said. "We have a lot of work to do. You look at a lot of things from last year that we did not do well. From an offensive standpoint, there's a lot of things."

Transcripts: June 10, 2008  -  Michael Strahan, John Mara, Tom Coughlin, Jerry Reese

June 10 Special Report - MICHAEL STRAHAN - ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER 15 YEARS.
It was at the Super Bowl, in those final fateful seconds of the fourth quarter (29 of them, to be exact) when the Giants had just taken their shocking 17-14 lead over New England. But the still undefeated Patriots, with one of history's most potent offenses, had the ball and all the horses and needed to go just far enough, at worst, to get in position for a field goal that would create the Super Bowl's first overtime game.
They were on their 26 and could have made it happen if they reached the Giants' 35, to set up a 52-yard field goal attempt. But they didn't seem to want to do that, they wanted to win it in those few seconds to increase the myth. Just before that series began, Michael Strahan was in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's face. "Bring the guns," he yelled. "Bring it, coach." He meant an all-out pass rush, and since Spagnuolo hadn't been conservative all season, he wasn't inclined to start at that moment.
He brought it. He brought the "terror defense" to attack Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady, and the heat the defense put on him, including a 10-yard sack by rookie Jay Alford, was enough to lock up the Super Bowl. It was Strahan's first Super Bowl in his 15 years of playing for the Giants, and as it turned out, it was his last year playing for them and his first and last Super Bowl.

Sometime during the last few weeks, Michael Strahan sat down and made a list of reasons why he should play again in 2008 and the goals he thought he still wanted to accomplish. When he looked at the list, though, he noticed something disturbing: He had a lot of individual goals listed - like reaching 150 career sacks - but he didn't have many team-oriented goals left at all. "That's not enough for me to keep playing," Strahan told his agent, Tony Agnone. That was the moment when Strahan apparently first made up his mind to retire after 15 NFL seasons.
Strahan, 36, said he wanted to make his decision before this week's minicamp so the players and organization could move forward. He was due $4 million in 2008, and according to sources, the Giants were willing to increase that to about $6.5 million. But Strahan, who will almost certainly find a lucrative career in a broadcast booth or studio, walked away. Newsday reported last month Strahan would probably return if the Giants paid him $8 million this season.

For more than a decade, Michael Strahan has been one of the NFL's premier defenders. He retired after 15 seasons Monday because he wouldn't want to be anything less. That's what the seven-time Pro Bowler said in a statement released to the Daily News Monday night from his home in California, several hours after he made his retirement official. He said Giants fans have gotten used to watching him perform at a certain level, and at age 36 he's just not sure he can do that anymore.
So Strahan leaves in a way in which we always want our sporting icons to go, covered in glory rather than gauze, our lasting image one of resplendence rather than regret. No limping after quarterbacks. He leaves a champion, and right in the photo alongside Lawrence Taylor, Sam Huff and Harry Carson as the greatest Giants to ever line up on the defensive side of the ball. Which is another promise he made back in February, back at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass. "Trust me," he said. "When I do leave, there will be gas left in the tank."
Not too many get to go out like Strahan, on his own terms, coming off a championship, still a Pro Bowl-caliber player and his team still very much wanting him to play. John Elway did it 10 years ago. That might be it. "He put in 15 great years and he retires on top of his game. There is nothing better than going out on top," LT told the Daily News. "I have a lot of respect for Michael Strahan. I wish him well in everything. He's done it all. He made plenty of money, he's on top of the game and he's got a hot girlfriend. What else does he want? He's got everything a man could want. God bless him."

"It was important that my teammates knew which way I was going before they get out on the field to start the work to defend our title," Strahan told Foxsports.com from California. "It's time. I'm done. It's a tough decision. But I wanted to be fair to the Giants and fair to my teammates." Strahan will hold an 11:30 a.m. press conference today at Giants Stadium. Strahan's agent, Tony Agnone, told The Post this timing was not a coincidence. "Mini-camp was his time," Agnone said. "He said if he's not motivated by then he's not going to do it."
Shortly before noon, through a report on Foxsports.com, a series of calls to members of the Giants front office and text messages to a few of his teammates, Michael Strahan made it known he was done after 15 NFL seasons, a team-record 141 1/2 sacks and seven Pro Bowls. Oh, and one monstrous Super Bowl ring. "He was happy, he was smiling," linebacker Antonio Pierce said when asked what tipped him off and recently led him to predict Strahan's retirement. "It looked like he was at peace with himself and what was going on in his life for the time being."
What does the retirement of Michael Strahan do for the immediate future of the Giants' defensive line? "We're going to be all fighting for that locker," Justin Tuck joked yesterday. The coveted corner locker will soon be vacated and it would be fitting if Tuck moved in his belongings. Unless the Giants have some wild personnel scenario up their sleeve, Tuck is the logical choice to move into Strahan's starting left defensive end spot.

Moments after word leaked out about Michael Strahan's retirement, Mathias Kiwanuka was lined up at defensive end. For the moment, he was only there because the Giants were working on their nickel defense. But if the players get their way, Kiwanuka soon will be back at that position on a more permanent basis. "I hope so," defensive end Justin Tuck said Monday. "I hope he does. That again gives us that three-headed monster. And we all know that last year that was very effective. I'm trying to invite Kiwi over to the house to eat some lasagna, so he can put a few pounds on."
When the Giants' mandatory mini-camp begins tomorrow, the defense will organize without Strahan -- for the first time in 15 years. And for a team that relied on its relentless pass rush en route to a Super Bowl championship, maintaining a disruptive defensive front is of primary importance, even minus the franchise's career-sacks leader. The adjustments start with Tuck, whom the Giants smartly locked up in January with a five-year, $30 million dollar deal. A powerful run-stopper, he's a natural successor to Strahan's starting spot on the left side.

It is goodbye to a New York Giants star for the second straight year, Michael Strahan this time, Tiki Barber a year ago. Two important Giants, two burgeoning broadcasting careers for two players who were talented and skilled and more publicly personable than the average professional athlete. It feels different this time, though. Feels a little better this time, and not just because the Giants are Super Bowl champions. The main difference between the departures of Barber and Strahan is that there is no bitterness this time, no nagging feeling about the way in which a legendary player walks away from the franchise that made him an attraction.
The answer was so obvious that Seth Markman laughed at the question: Will Michael Strahan wind up with an NFL studio show job by fall? "Um, I think he's got a future," chuckled Markman, a senior VP at ESPN who oversees "NFL Live" and "Monday Night Countdown." Strahan, like Tiki Barber before him, has openly coveted a post-retirement career in broadcasting. Like Barber, he's spent whatever spare time he's had in recent years openly auditioning for a job. And, like Barber, he's excellent on camera -- maybe even better than his ex-teammate.

UPDATE Michael Strahan, one of the greatest players in Giants history and a certain future Hall of Famer, today informed the team that he will retire after a 15-year career spent entirely with the organization. Strahan, who holds the NFL single-season sacks record and the franchise marks for games played and career sacks, leaves four months after his career's crowning moment, the Giants' Super Bowl XLII triumph over the New England Patriots. Fittingly, the last tackle he made in his career was a six-yard sack of Tom Brady in the third quarter of the Super Bowl.

June 9 Jeremy Shockey spoke up for the first time since breaking his leg in Week 15 of last season, and while he left a lot of questions unanswered, he did make one thing perfectly clear: There are still some burned bridges between him and the Giants that may be difficult - if not impossible - to repair.
Jeremy Shockey said a lot of things, as he got more than five months of frustration off his chest. Take his words for what they're worth. But don't believe all of them. In fact, note right away how he hinted to a group of media he might skip minicamp and then told the Post a few minutes later he planned on honoring his contract.
Today, the Giants take the field for their sixth and final Organized Team Activity practice, but it's a voluntary workout and the likelihood of Shockey showing up is remote at best. The mini-camp is entirely different. If Shockey is on the scene later this week at Giants Stadium, it's a safe assumption the emotional healing process can begin.

June 8 Jeremy Shockey emerged from his offseason of innuendo and speculation yesterday, offering only a handful of remarks that seem to indicate that he is irked by the organization. "Unlike the Giants, I'm going to be quiet," he said at Flushing Meadows Corona Park while participating in the Powerade Pro Challenge. "They've released multiple things about myself and if you look back into the media, there's always a source. Well, I'd like to know who this source is and we'll go over here and we'll deal with it ourselves, because I haven't said one negative thing toward the Giants in the newspapers."
His broken leg isn't 100 percent yet and his broken relationship with some member or members of the front office requires immediate healing. To wit: why was he watching the Giants shock the Patriots from a skybox? "And the truth is, I went to the Super Bowl game to go watch my team play; the Giants wouldn't let me sit on the sidelines with my teammates - I was forced to sit up in a box," Shockey said. I said to Shockey: "And that ticked you off." "Words can't explain," he said. I asked him: "What is your relationship with the front office right now?" "That's between the management and myself," Shockey said. "

Jeremy Shockey was in New York yesterday, but he may not stay for the Giants' mandatory minicamp, which begins Wednesday. In his first opportunity to publicly discuss a tumultuous offseason which made his future with the Giants uncertain, the tight end spoke of minicamp in terms of "if I do show up" -- and called out the Giants organization for releasing what he believes to be too much information about talks involving him.
Ownership, management and coaches have repeatedly said that the Giants want to keep the 27-year-old Shockey, who was a no-show at the team's Super Bowl parade, its visit to the White House and last month's championship-ring ceremony. Still, the team has listened to offers for the emotional tight end and turned down one from the Saints that would have given the Giants a second-round pick this year and a fifth-rounder next year. When told by one reporter that the team has repeatedly said it wants him back, the tight end shot back, "Why wouldn't they want me? Of course they want me. I just spoke to the owner an hour ago."

As for his health, Shockey said "obviously I'm not 100%" after breaking his fibula last December, so if he does attend mini-camp, he said he'll likely spend his time getting treatment on his leg. Giants cornerback Corey Webster and middle linebacker Antonio Pierce -- with his new wife, Jocelyn Pierce, in tow -- were also at the event. Pierce, who chatted with Shockey while eating lunch, reaffirmed his wish to keep Shockey as a teammate.
Antonio Pierce accompanied Shockey to the event, after which both players took off for the Belmont nearby. Pierce reminded everyone his teammate can be rather emotional at times, perhaps accounting for what Shockey perceives as a lack of love from the team. "I want him here," Pierce said of the tight end. "What he wants to do and what the organization wants, you have to ask them that question. But Antonio Pierce wants Jeremy Shockey here. They'd be fools to get rid of him."

June 7 On Monday, Renaldo Wynn, a veteran defensive lineman, signed with the Giants, who not only won their conference title game, but Super Bowl XLII as well. Yet as he concludes his first week of workouts with his new team, Wynn senses a much different attitude than what he found a year ago in the Bayou.

June 6 After spending the offseason telling people how much he wanted out of New York, Jeremy Shockey is finally about to return. The enigmatic tight end is expected to participate in the New York Giants' mandatory mini-camp next week, according to a team source. He is due in the New York area later this week for a promotional appearance on Saturday afternoon.

At last count, there are five former Giant assistant coaches serving as head coaches in the NFL. They are Romeo Crennel (Cleveland), Bill Belichick (New England), John Fox (Carolina), Mike Nolan (San Francisco) and Sean Payton (New Orleans). In addition, former Giant head coach Bill Parcells is now resident overseer and dictator of the Miami Dolphins.

Former Giants
For weeks, Bill Parcells has been hearing plenty about his feud with Jason Taylor. Parcells says it doesn't exist."Why wouldn't you want one of the very best players?" Parcells said in an interview with The Associated Press.

NFL News
The warning said that dirty bombs would explode during football games simultaneously at seven stadiums around the country -- including Giants Stadium. The immediate impact would be 100,000 dead. Radioactive fallout would kill many more. Osama bin Laden would hail the explosion as "America's Hiroshima." It was an Internet hoax, and the man who started it will now serve six months in prison and pay $26,750 in fines.

June 5 The last place anyone might expect to see hard-to-find Jeremy Shockey Jeremy Shockey this weekend is smack in the middle of Queens, but that's where the Giants New York Giants tight end is scheduled to be Saturday. Shockey is supposed to be in Flushing Meadows Corona Park for a paid appearance for a sports-drink company. If he indeed shows, that's a promising sign as far as his expected attendance Wednesday for the start of the Giants' mandatory three-day mini-camp.
Shockey's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, could not immediately be reached to confirm his client's plans, and it certainly wouldn't be a shock (no pun intended) if he blew off the event. But for the moment, he is on the schedule for what will now surely be a media event. If Shockey appears, it'll be the first official Shockey sighting since he was caught on camera in a luxury box watching Super Bowl XLII. It'll also be his first opportunity (if he so chooses) to address the reports of his unhappiness with the Giants, the fact that he asked to be traded, and the fact that the Giants were willing to deal him if the price is right.

There's a justifiably selfish place in linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka's soul that wants defensive end Michael Strahan to come back for one more year with the New York Giants. It's that place that remembers being in the locker room after Super Bowl XLII in Arizona in February, celebrating the victory over the New England Patriots, yet feeling like an outsider. It's that place that loved lining up as a defensive tackle alongside Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora - a latter-day version of football's Four Horsemen - on passing downs. For Kiwanuka, the idea of having Strahan brings on an almost Pavlovian response. Kiwanuka's eyes open a little wider and the tone of his voice gets just a little more excited.

June 4 David Tyree's catch in Super Bowl XLII forever guaranteed him a spot in team lore. But it may not have guaranteed him a spot on the 2008 roster. Yes, as bizarre as it may appear, the man who arguably made the best play in Super Bowl history could be scuffling to make the team this summer -- if his knee allows him to scuffle at all. Imagine the furor if the Giants announce they have cut one of their biggest heroes from their incredible championship run.
With starters Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer entrenched in their roles and youngsters Steve Smith, Sinorice Moss and rookie Mario Manningham available, there could be a battle at wide receiver that could leave Tyree on the outside looking in. "This is the first time in my career I've ever had any kind of injury, so I don't know how to handle it," Tyree said yesterday. "It's unfortunate that it kept me out. I should be back out there in about two or three weeks.

The pass from Eli Manning traveled 40 or 50 yards, bounced off the arm of cornerback Corey Webster, and Amani Toomer still found a way to catch it Tuesday morning. A few plays later, he hauled in another with one hand. It's not a stretch to say the 33-year-old Toomer looks way ahead of where he was at this point last year. Of course, that's because last year he wasn't here at all.
"It was a good first day," quarterback Eli Manning said. "We just want to get better. We looked at a lot of stuff last season that we need to improve on, especially on the offensive side and in the passing game." Manning was without two of his top targets -- wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who is rehabbing knee and ankle injuries, and tight end Jeremy Shockey, who usually participates in OTAs and whom the team expects to attend next week's mandatory minicamp. Linebacker Antonio Pierce is on his honeymoon, left defensive end Michael Strahan is still mulling retirement and right end Osi Umenyiora, who attended Friday's session, was absent for unknown reasons.

Last year, Amani Toomer caught nine passes in the season opener at Dallas, then 10 in the next four games combined. He finished with 59 receptions for 760 yards and three touchdowns, which placed him third on the team in all three categories. But Toomer was at his best in the postseason, when he led the Giants with 21 catches for 280 yards and three scores. Toomer expects the work he's doing now to result in a more productive season in 2008.

Yesterday, Mathias Kiwanuka spent his morning on the field along with his Giant teammates, admittedly more excited than most of them to merely be out there running around. He missed the last six games of the regular season with a broken left leg and ankle damage that required surgery, meaning he was a very interested bystander for the entire playoff run and Super Bowl glory. "This is excellent," Kiwanuka said after working up a sweat during the Giants New York Giants ' third and by far most strenuous Organized Team Activity practice. "I'll take every rep I can, every snap I can take."

June 3 Michael Strahan still hasn't announced whether he'll be playing in 2008, but now the Giants are prepared in case he doesn't play. The Super Bowl champs signed veteran Renaldo Wynn Monday to bolster their uncertain defensive line. And the Giants made it clear that the signing of the 11-year veteran, who will be 34 when the season starts, is an insurance policy in case Strahan retires.
No one is insinuating that Wynn is anything close to Strahan, but he has started 128 NFL games, and at 6-3 and 284 pounds he does have the bulk to move inside to tackle. The roster has two youngsters, Dave Tollefson and rookie seventh-round pick Robert Henderson, plus some undrafted free agents at defensive end. At the very least, Wynn provides great experience.
Coughlin is impressed with Wynn's ability to play both tackle and end. "That's very valuable," Coughlin said. "We've seen that with Justin Tuck. Renaldo can play the run on first and second down - he doesn't have to come in only on pass downs. He played inside last year, so he can defend against the run." In 2007, Wynn signed with the Saints on Sept. 10. He played in 12 games with one start and finished with 13 tackles (12 solo) and 3.5 sacks.

June 2 The Giants, who won a Super Bowl thanks to the belief that "you can never have enough pass rushers," have added one more. The team came to terms on a one-year deal with veteran free-agent defensive end Renaldo Wynn this weekend, according to someone informed of the progress of talks between Wynn and the team. The 6-3, 296-pound Wynn, who will turn 34 on Sept. 3 -- the day before the Giants open the regular season with a home game against the Redskins -- will become the second free agent who previously played for Tom Coughlin to sign with the Giants. Linebacker Danny Clark, who played three seasons for Coughlin with the Jaguars, signed in March.

Tom Coughlin is one of the driving forces behind the Jay Fund. He hosted his annual ice cream social at Giants stadium on Friday, welcoming in more than 40 kids with cancer and their families that have been assisted by the Jay Fund.

June 1 Derrick Ward this past Thursday for the first time slipped that ring on his finger, as the Giants received their Tiffany-created prize. Ward said he knows he helped earn the diamond-encrusted jewelry, but he also anticipated feeling a bit strange when he was surrounded by so many who actually played throughout the playoff surge. He was one of three players who, in a dizzying four-week span, went down with broken legs and ankle damage, missing out on the ensuing fun. Linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka was first, on Nov. 18 in Detroit. Two weeks later, Ward - subbing for injured Brandon Jacobs - rumbled for a career-high 154 yards and one touchdown, guiding the Giants to a 21-16 comeback victory in Chicago before fracturing his left leg. Two weeks later, tight end Jeremy Shockey hobbled out of a desultory loss to the Redskins.

The Giants certainly should be a competitive team again this season, but will the hunger still be there? It's only human nature for a player who accomplished so much last season to look at his mammoth ring and think, "I did it once, lots of guys don't even get to do that." And that little edge that determines so many games disappears. The Giants will find even the improbable course they navigated last year was nothing compared to the one they will face this season.

The Giants held the first of their six OTAs (organized team activities), their initial on-field work since the Super Bowl XLII triumph over the New England Patriots just 12 hours after they received their Super Bowl rings in a moving ceremony at Tiffany. Although the full squad was not on the field at the same time and the players worked primarily on individual and unit drills, it was still football. Some players no doubt would have preferred more celebration time and a return to the field on Monday. But everyone recognizes the importance of turning the page on 2007 and beginning to focus on the new season.

The NFL always has been and always will be a game of quarterbacks, writes Rick Gosselin. With that in mind, Gosselin's off-season rankings give Tom Brady and the New England Patriots the nod as the league's best team, followed closely by the Indianapolis Colts and Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. Eli Manning is the reason the Giants didn't stray far from the top in the rankings this off-season. New York sits sixth. He's one of only four quarterbacks to take his team to the playoffs each of the last three seasons, joining his brother Peyton, Brady and Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck.

Former Giants
Bill Parcells pitched in the first Bergen County baseball tournament in 1959. "I pitched against Teaneck and Arne Thorsland in that game," said Bill Parcells, the River Dell product and former Giants coach. "I wasn't really a pitcher. I was a catcher, but I was all they had."

May 30 After four months of celebrations, parades, dinners and a tour of the White House, the New York Giants got their final reward on Thursday night for winning the Super Bowl -- the bling. The Giants walked a blue carpet on fashionable Fifth Ave and then were handed their Super Bowl championship rings in a private ceremony at Tiffany and Co.
"It came out just like we thought it would," quarterback Eli Manning said while grasping his right hand with his left, as if he needed help holding up the $25,000 white-gold behemoth. "Perfect." The rings, which were produced at a discounted price of about $5,500 each, feature three Lombardi trophies on the top -- one for each of the franchise's Super Bowl titles -- as well as the words "Eleven Straight on the Road" on the shank. The Super Bowl XLII logo, the final score (17-14) and the date of the game adorn the opposite shank.
Not all of the Giants were present. Antonio Pierce is on his honeymoon. Jeremy Shockey was not in attendance either. But free agents Kawika Mitchell and Gibril Wilson, who signed with other teams this offseason, did show up. As did Michael Strahan, who took time away from mulling his retirement to consider his accomplishment.
Cradling the Lombardi Trophy in one hand and wearing his new Super Bowl championship ring on the other, Michael Strahan was beaming brighter than his new diamonds. "Incredible!" exclaimed Strahan, who refused to discuss whether he will return for another season before and after the Giants' lavish and private ring ceremony at Tiffany & Co. on Fifth Ave.
An estimated 85 people picked up their rings last night, and such people who showed up included former GM Ernie Accorsi and key former Giants who have since left the team, such as linebacker Kawika Mitchell and safety Gibril Wilson. Nearly every key Giant player got his ring, with Shockey and Antonio Pierce the main exceptions.
Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, who became the team's inspirational figure, also was on hand to get his reward. "I am so honored the Giants have allowed me to be a part of this," said the Iraqi war veteran. Coach Tom Coughlin presented each player with his ring after he, general manager Jerry Reese, and co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch addressed the players. "It was an exciting night," Coughlin said. "It was great to be able to look each player in the eye as I gave him his ring."
On a makeshift podium in the showroom of a famed Midtown Manhattan jewelry store, Giants president John Mara Thursday night called the 2007 Giants season, "the most memorable and rewarding one in my lifetime." Considering Mara was born in 1954 and has been alive for four of the Giants' seven championships, that's a big statement. But 2007 was a big Giants season, culminating in their exhilarating victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. ESPN SB 1966-2006 Rings.

May 29 Tonight will be a time to look back, perhaps the last time the Giants are willing and actually instructed to bask in the afterglow of their tremendous achievement. They receive their championship rings during a ceremony at the flagship Fifth Avenue store of Tiffany and Co. The actual presentation of the rings will be private, but there will be the "blue carpet" treatment prior to the event, and players, coaches and ownership will be available afterward for comments.

All signs point to the Giants building on their success and staying strong in the league's toughest division, where teams are measured by postseason success rather than regular-season records. The Dallas Cowboys cruised for 16 games in 2007, but in the end the Giants' late-season run mattered more. They played strong to defeat tough opponents in their final four away games, including their divisional playoff victory at Dallas.

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