Giants Blog

Giants sign second-round pick Joseph

July 31, 2010 , ι BY PAUL SCHWARTZ

With only one day remaining before the start of training camp at the University at Albany, the Giants have come to terms with their second-round draft pick, Linval Joseph, leaving only first-rounder... Read on

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Giants clear space for top two picks

July 30, 2010 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

The Giants have two unsigned draft picks and today they cleared the necessary roster space to sign them. Two days before training camp, the Giants waived linebacker Kenny Ingram and defensive end... Read on

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Tyree, Hilliard retire as Giants

July 30, 2010 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

David Tyree this morning called his NFL career "A fairy-tale ride for a kid from Essex County. The story couldn't have been written any better.'' Even fairy tales and incredible stories must come to... Read on

David Tyree this morning called his NFL career "A fairy-tale ride for a kid from Essex County. The story couldn't have been written any better.'' Even fairy tales and incredible stories must come to an end. Tyree – the special teams ace who unexpectedly became a Super Bowl hero - took this occasion to announce his retirement from football, signing a one-day contract in order to retire as a member of the Giants organization.
	 
Ike Hilliard, the gritty receiver who for eight years with the Giants put his slight body through enormous strain, also today signed a one-day contract in order to retire as a Giant. Neither player ended their career with the team that drafted them, as Tyree spent last season with the Ravens and Hilliard – who was out of football last year – spent his last four seasons with the Buccaneers.
	 
"I was honored from the start of things, even in the most shaky of moments to have played my career with a class organization and it was only fitting I ended here,'' Tyree said.
	 
"Being a Giant was obviously was more special to me than anything to me in my professional career, no disrespect to my four years in Tampa,'' Hilliard explained. "Getting my start there, being a part of a great organization, playing with a number of great ballplayers, being fortunate to play for the Mara and Tisch family it was a no-brainer for me.''
	 
Tyree, a native of Montclair, N.J. came out of Syracuse in 2003 as a sixth-round pick and the Giants were under no illusion that he would be a featured receiver. They selected him for his rare ability to dominate on special teams and he did not disappoint, making the Pro Bowl in 2005 as a special teams player. No one was better at downing punts inside the 5-yard line. In 74 regular-season games for the Giants, Tyree caught only 54 passes for 650 yards and four touchdowns.
	 
That is why he became the most improbable hero in Super Bowl history. After catching four passes the entire 2007 season, Tyree caught three in Super Bowl XLII, including the Giants first touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Tyree and Eli Manning then hooked up for what is widely considered the greatest play in Super Bowl history, a 32-yard completion in the final minutes that included a circus-like escape by Manning and the now-famous catch-off-the-helmet by Tyree to set up the winning touchdown.
	 
Tyree said "I couldn’t even approximate the numbers'' when asked how many times he's seen the catch. "I am going to take the time, I've never sat down and watched the game in its entirety,'' he said. "I know it means a lot more to me now. I don’t think I have the full understanding of the depth of what occurred, I think the removed from it the more I'll appreciate it. Obviously that's the one signature moment in which I'll be remembered as a football player but I was definitely satisfied with the complete body of work as well.''
	 
That turned out to be Tyree's final game with the Giants and final NFL catch, as a knee injury the following off-season forced him to miss the entire 2008 season. He tried to come back in 2009 but he got hurt again and the Giants released him. He played 10 games last season for the Ravens, plus two more in the playoffs.
	 
Moving forward, the 30-year old Tyree said he will concentrate on "A combination of business and ministry. I have a passion about my relationship with Christ, I truly understand that was the primary focus of what that catch means to me, it gives me a voice, it gives me a platform to reach others, to share, to encourage others.''
	 
Hilliard never lived up to his lofty draft status as the seventh overall pick in 1997, largely because a myriad of injuries. His career nearly came to an end in only his second NFL game when he suffered a frightening broken neck in Jacksonville. He ended up playing in 98 games for the Giants in nine seasons and ranks fifth in franchise history with 368 receptions, eighth with 4,630 yards and is tied for 11th with 27 touchdowns catches. Hilliard's best season was 1999 when he had career-highs of 72 catches for 996 yards.
	 
The one catch that still brings a smile to Giants fans came on Jan. 14, 2001 in the NFC Championship Game at Giants Stadium. On the fourth play of the game against the Vikings, Hilliard and Kerry Collins hooked up on a 46-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown that set the stage for a 41-0 rout. Hilliard finished the game with what then was a Giants post-season record 10 receptions for 155 yards and two TDs.
	 
Hilliard spent his last four seasons with the Buccaneers, playing 47 games and catching 178 passes and scoring eight touchdowns. He was out of football last year.
	 
"Eight surgeries in my 12-year career is part of the reason I'm not playing today,'' said Hilliard, who said he to this day gets burns and stings from the neck fusion surgery in 2007 and has some nerve damage from a hit in 2008. It's the nature of the game. You know what you sign up for. A lot of it is partly my fault for not preparing myself body-wise to play this very physical game. I enjoy the physical part of the game, I just didn’t deal with it very well as far as holding up and staying healthy throughout my career. But I never shied away from physical play.''
	 
Hilliard, 34, is serious about pursuing a coaching career. He interviewed for the receiver coach positions with the Redskins and Buccaneers and turned out an offer to work with the receivers at Duke. He's currently in his second year coaching the receivers for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. His goal is to one day be a head coach in the NFL.
	 
"I'm doing the best I can not to disrespect the craft,'' Hilliard said. "I'm hoping at some point I'll have the opportunity to coach in the NFL. I have to work as hard as I can.''

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(2) Comments

Giants waive injured Jones, sign DE Hall

July 29, 2010 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

On the eve of training camp, the Giants have added another new player. He's defensive end Alex Hall, who was awarded to the Giants off waivers from the Eagles. Hall was a 2008 seventh-round draft... Read on

On the eve of training camp, the Giants have added another new player. He's defensive end Alex Hall, who was awarded to the Giants off waivers from the Eagles.
	 
Hall was a 2008 seventh-round draft pick of the Browns and traded to the Eagles in April. In 30 NFL games (two starts) for the Browns, the Hall (6-5, 250) has three sacks. He's also played outside linebacker.
	 
Hall takes the roster spot belonging to Chad Jones, the rookie safety who on June 25 suffered serious injuries to his left leg and ankle in a one-car accident in New Orleans.
	 
Jones was waived in order for the Giants to free his roster spot. Once Jones clears waivers, he'll be placed on the reserve/non-football injury list.
	 
“It’s really hurts not to have Chad,” Tom Coughlin told The Associated Press. “The important thing is that he regain his total health. He’s not going to be far from our thoughts in training camp.”

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Giants' top two picks unsigned with camp looming

July 29, 2010 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

With four days until the Giants hit the field for the first practice of training camp, the Giants are left with two unsigned players: First-round pick Jason Pierre-Paul and second round-pick Linval... Read on

With four days until the Giants hit the field for the first practice of training camp, the Giants are left with two unsigned players: First-round pick Jason Pierre-Paul and second round-pick Linval Joseph. General manager Jerry Reese has an impeccable record in getting the draft picks signed in time for camp and he is aiming to do the same this summer.
	 
"I certainly hope so,'' Tom Coughlin said this morning. "We've had success with that over the years, I really do not expect for that to be any different. I'm in the 'hope' stage.''
	 
Joseph, a defensive tackle from East Carolina, should be signed shortly. As of early this afternoon, 24 of the 32 picks in the second round were signed, including the two players taken right in front of Joseph: Raiders defensive tackle Lamarr Houston of Texas (four years, $4.33 million, $2.5 guaranteed) and Broncos guard Zane Beadles of Utah (four years, $4.2 million, $2.7 guaranteed). Figure Joseph will come in with a four-year deal worth slightly more than $4 million, with guaranteed money in the $2.5 million range.
	 
The first-round signings are not going nearly as quickly, with one of the top 23 players signed. With most of the NFL camps opening up this weekend, the first-round signings should pick up dramatically in the next few days.

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(1) Comments

Giants' Phillips not ready to practice

July 29, 2010 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

When the Giants hit the field Sunday afternoon in Albany for the first practice of training camp safety Kenny Phillips will again be off on the side, working on his own.There was hope that perhaps... Read on

When the Giants hit the field Sunday afternoon in Albany for the first practice of training camp safety Kenny Phillips will again be off on the side, working on his own.
	 
There was hope that perhaps Phillips would be ready to resume work with the team but the serious micro-fracture surgery on his left knee has left him needing more time to get back to full football activities.
	 
"He'll be with the trainers until the trainers are willing to let him begin to practice,'' Tom Coughlin said this morning. "I'm sure when that happens it will be one a day.''
	 
The Giants will surely take one-a-day practice out of Phillips, who missed the final 14 games last season with an arthritic condition in his knee that prompted surgery. Phillips this spring expressed all sorts of optimism that he'd be ready to go for camp but he'll have to wait a bit longer.
	 
"They're going to work with him on the side and determine exactly where he is,'' Coughlin said. "Part of this is watching after a workout how the player comes back, how long it takes for his recovery, is there any swelling, those are the things they got to determine. They’ve worked with him all spring and they've monitored him all summer. Because of the nature and the seriousness of the injury they certainly are not going to rush back out there until they're 100 percent sure he can go through a two-hour practice. That's all fine and dandy.''
	 
Asked if he is confident Phillips will be able to practice during the 20-day camp in Albany, Coughlin said "Oh, definitely, I expect to get him as much as a week or two.''
	 
The newest Giants player, linebacker Keith Bulluck, will be on the field this Sunday but will only work once a day coming off surgery only seven months ago to repair a torn ACL. Coughlin said he's undecided if he’ll ask Bulluck to take part in the conditioning run earlier in the day on Sunday but plans on him practicing for the first time with his new team later that afternoon.
	 
"I'm sure he'll work that first day and then once a day is really all we can expect as we move him back to the highly-conditioned athlete he normally is,'' Coughlin said.
	 
Bulluck, 33, spent the first 10 years of his NFL career with the Titans and started 127 consecutive games before tearing his left ACL in the 15th game of the season.
	 
"I like the fact he's a no-nonsense guy, he's a veteran football player, he's 33-years old, he's only had the one serious injury, he's played consistently for a long time in a very aggressive defense, he is known as a physical player, he's a tough guy, he's a Syracuse guy, how can he be anything but that,'' Coughlin said. "He's a guy I think brings a lot to the table. For a lot of our young guys he is going to be the kind of focused, physical football player that can lead by example and makes a good fit for our team.''

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Chad Jones released from hospital

July 27, 2010 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

Chad Jones is going home, for now.The Giants rookie safety, who last month suffered a serious and career-threatening injury to his left leg, this morning was released from the Hospital for Special... Read on

Chad Jones is going home, for now.
	 
The Giants rookie safety, who last month suffered a serious and career-threatening injury to his left leg, this morning was released from the Hospital for Special Surgery, where he'd been since June 29. Jones was involved in a car accident June 25 in New Orleans that did extensive damage to his left leg and ankle. He will return home today to New Orleans.
	 
The long road back continues for Jones, a third-round draft pick out of LSU who excelled in college in both football and baseball and nearly lost his left leg in the accident. Jones has undergone several surgical procedures, first at LSU Public Hospital and later at HSS. He will rest and recuperate at home and then return to New York in several weeks for additional surgery.
	 
"Chad is in great spirits and excited to be getting out of the hospital,” said Ronnie Barnes, the Giants vice president of medical services, who visited Jones this morning. "All has gone well thus far for Chad, and he will return in probably six to eight weeks for another surgical procedure.''
	 
The Giants were high on Jones as a prospect for their secondary. He was expected to contribute on special teams and possibly as a kick returner in his first year but will miss the entire season as he recovers and faces many more months of rehab.

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Giants' Osi will try to play without hip surgery

July 27, 2010 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

Concerns about a lingering and chronic hip issue prompted Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora to seek out two medical opinions as to what direction he should take in dealing with the problem. The... Read on

Concerns about a lingering and chronic hip issue prompted Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora to seek out two medical opinions as to what direction he should take in dealing with the problem. The results of those examinations? Umenyiora will manage the condition and continue playing, meaning he will arrive Sunday at training camp at the University at Albany and is expected to participate in practice.
	 
Umenyiora, according to a published report, earlier in July sought a second opinion and visited the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo. to see Dr. Marc Philippon, a hip specialist who operated on Alex Rodriguez, and that Philippon's recommendation was to have surgery to repair the damage still present from the torn hip flexor that forced Umenyiora back in 2006 to miss five games. The report stated surgery was scheduled but then cancelled after Philippon, Umeniyora and the Giants medical staff agreed to deal with the problem the way Umenyiora has been because he won’t make it worse by playing.
	 
Before traveling to Colorado, Umenyiora conferred with the Giants medical staff and, according to a source, was told he could play with the hip issue by managing it the way he has the past few years. Any surgery can wait and there is no risk of further injury. The source also indicated no surgery was ever scheduled.
	 
Umenyiora participated in the off-season workout program and the mandatory mini-camp, although he did experience some discomfort in his hip, keeping him out of at least one organized team activity. He played in all 16 games last season after missing all of 2008 after surgery to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his left knee in a preseason game against the Jets.

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(4) Comments

Making the calls no problem for new Giants LB Bulluck

July 26, 2010 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

If Keith Bulluck is to become the Giants new starting middle linebacker he is going to have to quickly pick up the terminology and schemes of new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. All the Giants... Read on

If Keith Bulluck is to become the Giants new starting middle linebacker he is going to have to quickly pick up the terminology and schemes of new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. All the Giants defensive players are in the same boat as far as adjusting and learning a new system but at least they've had an offseason to begin the process.
	 
Not so for Bulluck, who on Saturday signed a one-year deal with the Giants. This week, he says he'll start viewing tape of last season's games. That won't give him a clue as to Fewell's newly-installed system but at least Bulluck can acclimate himself with the strengths and weaknesses of his new teammates.
	 
The Giants signed Bulluck to be a starter and if he indeed mans the middle sooner rather than later he'll have to bark out the defensive signals, a prerequisite for the job.
	 
"Since I've been a starter in this league I've been the signal-caller, I was the signal-caller since my sophomore year in college, that's what I do,'' Bulluck said today on a conference call. "It might be a little unnatural for me not do that but if I'm not the one with the earpiece than that's fine too.''
	 
Coming off surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, Bulluck likely will be held out of most or all of the contact drills when the Giants on Sunday open up training camp at the University at Albany. This is Bulluck's 11th NFL training camp but his first with the Giants; he spent the first 10 years of his career with the Titans, establishing himself as a top-notch linebacker and a strong leadership presence.
	 
Can he duplicate those traits with the Giants?
	 
"I'm not a rah-rah guy, if you look at my career and the things I've done on the field and been able to accomplish that should tell you some things,'' Bulluck said. "I'm a natural leader, I don't need to have the 'C' on my chest to be a leader. The 'C' is just an indication you're a captain. Just because you're a captain doesn't mean you’re a leader. I'm here to win football games, I'm here to bring some people along with me. Maybe my mentality my attitude will rub off, I'm sure these guys attitudes and mentality will rub off on me. I'm a New York Giant, I kind of got to get acclimated to them. I'll just get in where I fit in. I'm not coming here to change the culture of anything. I'm sure the guys who are leaders here already will show me the way.
	 
"As I get familiar with the defense and the personnel, we all have to mesh. I know there are some guys on this defense last year that may not be happy with the seasons they had and they have something to prove. I know this team as a whole as something to prove. For everyone to just be talking about Dallas and Washington and Philadelphia and not to be talking about Big Blue is almost absurd.''
	 
Rookie linebacker Phillip Dillard this spring had been given uniform No. 53 but now that Bulluck is on board he'll wear it, which with the Giants is known as the number worn by Hall of Famer Harry Carson. Bulluck said there's no added pressure there. "I know the great Harry Caron wore it,'' he said. "I'm not a pressure-type person. I'll be fine. That's the least of my concerns. I won't disrespect the jersey.''
	 
As for the rehabilitation on his knee, Bulluck reiterated that he's 90 percent of the way back.
	 
"I met with two clubs, seen five, six, seven doctors in the last how many months, they've pulled, they've twisted, they've done everything there is to do to try and find something wrong with it,'' he said. "With the medicine and way the rehabilitation process goes these days its almost equivalent to a high ankle sprain. The only people that seem to be worried about my knee are the reporters. My team doctors, my coaches here they're not concerned about it because if they were I wouldn't be having this conversation with you now.''

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Post Your Comments ⁄

(0) Comments

Bulluck says he's man for the middle

July 25, 2010 , ι BY PAUL SCHWARTZ

With the Titans, Keith Bulluck for the majority of his 10 seasons played mostly right outside linebacker in Tennessee's base defense, moving into the middle on third down. As the newest member of the... Read on

With the Titans, Keith Bulluck for the majority of his 10 seasons played mostly right outside linebacker in Tennessee's base defense, moving into the middle on third down. As the newest member of the Giants, Bulluck – signed Saturday to a one-year deal worth as much as $2.5 million – arrives as the starting middle linebacker as long as he proves his surgically-repaired left knee has healed.
	 
Moving from outside into the middle is no big deal, he says.
	 
"I consider myself a linebacker,'' Bulluck this afternoon told The Post. "I don’t come off the field. In Tennessee I played 96 percent of the snaps. I don't come off the field, ever. I like the concept of playing middle linebacker because in Tennessee I predominantly played on the right side during the base packages. I always felt if I'm on the right they can always run to the left and make my job harder. In the middle you can’t run away from me. I don’t have a problem getting off blocks.''
	 
How much pursuit to the ball Bulluck has left in his legs is debatable, considering he's 33 years old and only seven months removed from tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament. He insists he's about 90 percent of the way back but it's likely the Giants will be cautious with him once training camp begins this Sunday at the University at Albany.
	 
"I would like to be on the field,'' said Bulluck, who before the injury last December started 127 consecutive games for the Titans. "I can be on the field for sure but it's up to coach Coughlin what they want to do. I know they're going to being me along gradually. It's not about getting me out there and running me into the ground. If coach Coughlin wants me out there then I'm out there. I want to be out there with my team. They'll never be a point, even if I'm not in practice, where I'm just standing around. Hard work is what got me into this league and allowed me to play for 10 years, hard work is what got me to have teams interested in me six and a half months out of surgery and hard work is what's going to make me a Pro Bowl player in the NFC and help my team a playoff team and a Super Bowl contender.''
	 
Before he was hurt, Bulluck was putting together another strong season, with 108 tackles in 14 games. "All you got to do is go look at last year, look at my body of my work,'' he said. "The last eight years at Tennessee I led the team in tackles every year except the year Albert Haynesworth became a dominant force and last year. I would have led the team last year if I didn't get injured. At the end of the day, the last time I stepped on the field and played a full game I was AFC Defensive Player of the Week and I don’t feel I've slowed down.
	 
"I don’t have to play football again. As far as financially I've had 10 great years in Tennessee, monetarily me and my family, we're fine. I come back for the hardware, to prove I've been and will continue to be one of the best linebackers in the game. I know where I am, New York, so talk is cheap where I'm from. The only thing I can do is go out and prove it with my play. Everything I bring to the table I know I have to convince the tri-state area that I am the real deal. I think the team also has a lot to prove. We're in the same boat.''
	 
Born and raised in Rockland Country, Bulluck said he has no ill-feelings for the Titans, who opted not to re-sign him when he became an unrestricted free agent. "I don't have any feelings for them right now,'' Bulluck said. "I have to thank [Titans coach] Jeff Fisher and [former Titans GM] Floyd Reese for giving me the opportunity, they drafted me No. 30 in 2000 and allowed me to play on their team and show my talents.
	 
"I know it’s a business, they felt they made the necessary moves to make them a better team and I wish them the best of luck. But they do have to come through New York at some point.''
	 
The Titans play the Giants Sept. 26 at New Meadowlands Stadium. Bulluck expects to be there, waiting for his old team.

UPI