NY Giants Central Moving to Rant Sports
This will be the final post on NY Giants Central. The Rant Sports Network will be moving in to one site this weekend, so please go to www.rantsports.com next week and enjoy the new site!
I will still be covering the Giants on Rant Sports, but just on a different domain.
Plaxico Burress Reinstated by Roger Goodell
According to ESPN’s John Clayton, Plaxico Burress has officially been reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and can visit with whomever he wants starting tomorrow.
He has a dinner scheduled with Tom Coughlin Friday night, and will then take a plane to Pittsburgh to visit with Mike Tomlin. All indications point to a return to the Steelers unless he and Coughlin can squash any problems they had in the past.
New York Giants Make it Official, Release Tiki Barber; Also Get Rid of FB Madison Hedgecock
According to Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star Ledger, the New York Giants have officially released Tiki Barber, who is now free to come out of retirement and sign with….well who the hell knows.
Many speculate he could end up in Denver or Pittsburgh, but I get the distinct feeling he will end up elsewhere.
The Giants have also released FB Madison Hedgecock. Hedgecock’s fall from grace was not easy to watch. He went from one of the most underrated players in the league in 2008, to missing nearly all of the 2010 season while watching his replacement (TE Bear Pascoe) play much better than he.
Garafolo speculated Hedgecock may not have passed a physical with this tweet.
@MikeGarafolo: Hedgecock was taken by a team-rented car for a physical yesterday and returned in a much different mood. Now we know why. #NYG
The Hedgecock move comes as no surprise. He skills were definitely dwindling and the Giants signed Pitt’s Henry Hynoski as an undrafted rookie free agent.
Hynoski will have a really good chance to become the starting full back, especially if the Giants can’t resign Kevin Boss, making Pascoe the starting tight end.
After Being Cut, New York Giants Player Rep Shaun O’Hara Says He Should Have Voted ‘No’ to CBA
The New York Giants shocked everyone when they released Shaun O’Hara, which became official today at 4 pm ET. A return to the team doesn’t seem likely after the Giants signed free agent C David Baas; many speculated he could return at a lower salary after being released.
O’Hara claims “If I had known I was going to be a casualty of this [lockout] I would’ve voted ‘No’,” O’Hara told Ralph Vacchiano from the NY Daily News.
He also said he had no clue his release was coming.
“I certainly didn’t see it coming,” O’Hara said. “Richie [Seubert] and I actually joked about it, how we were like deer or bears in the woods that were just kind of walking along and didn’t really know what was about to happen to us. I kind of had a little bit of a tip when Richie called me and told me what happened to him. I certainly wasn’t expecting it.”
I imagine many veterans are feeling this way. Don’t be surprised to see more players either cut or have their pay reduced over the next few days. The Giants signed Mathias Kiwanuka, but are still trying to resign Steve Smith, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Kevin Boss.
BREAKING NEWS: New York Giants Resign Mathias Kiwankua
Thanks to a tweet by his teammate Justin Tuck, we were able to find out the great news that the Giants have resigned defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka.
Of course this is in no way official, but I have to believe the defensive captain wouldn’t have said that unless it were true.
@JustinTuckNYG91: Kiwi is returning to the big blue. Yes sir” <> awesome news!
The Giants are still trying to negotiate with Osi Umenyiora and give him a new deal, but if they cannot come to an agreement then you can expect Kiwanuka to spend most of his time at defensive end this year.
I expect the Giants to get both he and Osi back on the team, and Kiwanuka to start at linebacker this year.
New York Giants Offensive Line Shuffle: David Diehl Moving to LG, Will Beatty to Start at LT?
The New York Giants have informed David Diehl that he will be moving to left guard this season, his original position before the Giants moved him to left tackle several years ago.
The move will cost Diehl $750,000, but it was a necessary move after the Giants cut both Shaun O’Hara and Rich Seubert. With the signing of free agent center David Baas, the interior of the Giants offensive line has now been figured out. (more…)
Miami Dolphins Attempting Trade for Reggie Bush? Ahmad Bradshaw Seemingly Headed Back to New York Giants
Just when we thought the Dolphins were going to swoop in an grab Ahmad Bradshaw away from the Giants, they bowed out of the race because Bradshaw’s asking price got too high.
The five year, $42 million deal DeAngelo Williams signed with the Panthers set the bar for Bradshaw, who admitted on ESPN’s NFL Live that he was excited when he saw that news. (more…)
Despite Narrowing Choices Down to Texans, Bears, and Jets, Plaxico Burress to Choose Between Giants and Steelers
Apparently the three teams Plaxico Burress expressed interest in him have made it clear that interest is a one way street, and the former Super Bowl hero is apparently going to meet with his two former teams this Friday.
A dinner is set with Burress and coach Tom Coughlin on Friday, after which Burress will fly to Pittsburgh and meet with coach Mike Tomlin. (more…)
In Accordance With Team Policy, New York Giants Extend Tom Coughlin Through 2012
Over the past couple of seasons Tom Coughlin has always started the off season in the last year of his contract, but the New York Giants will never have a coach in the final year of a deal, so they extended him today through the 2012 season.
Coughlin has a 65-47 regular season record with the Giants, as well as a 4-3 record in the playoffs. The 2007 playoff run was greatly attributed to Coughlin dialing his dictator attitude down a few notches and allowing his leaders to get the team where it needed to be.
Many fans wanted to see Coughlin gone after the second straight year with no playoffs, and if that happens a third year in a row you will get what you wished for.
The best case scenario for me is Coughlin goes out on top and steps down, allowing Perry Fewell to get his long awaited head coaching job.
Brandon Jacobs Open to Restructuring his Contract with the New York Giants
With the Giants frantically trying to get enough under the cap to sign their own and possibly some other free agents, they’ve asked a few veterans to restructure their contract.
Brandon Jacobs was apparently approached this morning and is open to the idea as long as it’s fair to him.
Many fans have said they want Jacobs released because his better days are behind them. Well tell that to his 5.4 yards per carry average, which was second most in the NFL behind Jamaal Charles in 2010.
The Bergen Record’s Jeff Roberts reported Jacobs is meeting with the team this morning, so we may know his situation by the end of the day.
Stay tuned for updates.
