But anyway, I'm part of a new New York Giants website where I'll be wriring, so check out my stuff here. This thing was fun while it lasted and I might do the NGS contest when I get time, but from now on, I'll be at this new site. Here's the URL.
First of all, congrats to the winner of the contest. Kudos.
Secondly, sorry I haven't been on in like 4 months. Truthfully, I wanted to win the contest and really thought I had a shot. but oh well, what's done is done and I'm over it. Plus, school came into play and I've just been busy.
BUT....I'm back. Not like before, but I'm back no doubt. I'll be posting about the Giants, Yankees, maybe the Mets, maybe the Sox, who knows. Definetly will make an update about the draft.
Late Friday night, the curious defensive end for the New York Giants, Osi Umenyiora, found something he really liked in his stocking.
Yes, it looks like Santa Claus gave Umenyiora an early Christmas present. Was it that brand now toy car he had been wanting? Maybe it was the brand XBox 360? No, it was neither, it was something much better.
Umenyiora, the starting left defensive end for the Giants in his third NFL season, recieved a contract extension from the New York Giants. His new contract, six years, 41 million dollars, is believed to be the contract with the largest amount of guaranteed money to a three year vetern. Umenyiora certainly deserves it: he is second in the league in sacks and becoming one of the best defensive ends in the league today.
Umenyiora was almost traded to the San Diego Chargers in the Eli Manning deal, but Giants GM Ernie Accorsi thought so highly of Umenyiora that he refused to trade him. The move certainly paid off, for Umenyiora has become a top notch defensive end in only his third season.
The future is definetly bright for Osi Umenyiora and the New York Giants: some of their star players, including guards Chris Snee and David Diehl, tackle Kareem McKenzie, wide reciever Plaxico Burress, linebacker Antonio Pierce, and quarterback Eli Manning will be with the team for years to come. By extending Umenyiora, the Giants add yet another piece to the puzzle and will surely be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
I usually don't do this, but I feel that I need to give my own, personal, opinion of this signing. As a Giant fan, I love it. Umenyiora really is a star player: if you have yet to see him, he's very impressive with a lot of skill and talent and he'll only get better. This is a great move by the Giants and prove once again that unlike some twams in the NFL, they are willing to reward players who have played quality football.
As always, opinions, suggestions, comments, criticisms are welcomed.
The famous Christmas song has it absolutely correct: It’s the most wonderful time of the year.Friends and family reunite to celebrate the Holiday season, Santa Claus is on his way to give joy to children across America, and football season is in full swing and full of “What if” questions.Who will make the postseason?Who will win the “Reggie Bush Bowl”?Can Texas beat USC in the Rose Bowl?
With the end of the regular season, football fans will know a majority for the draft order, especially crucial this year because of playmaking running back Reggie Bush.Any draft guru will tell you what player will definitely get taken on Day 1 and some will have the insight to tell you which player will get take Day 2.However, for many college football players, that phone call never comes.Hundreds of players are not drafted and must wait for teams to call them to be signed as undrafted free agents.
Many of these undrafted free agents will end up on practice squads or special teams, while many will be cut and never heard from again. But how many guys really make a difference?Surprisingly, a lot of no names have emerged as fine players and have had great impacts on their team and the rest of the NFL.You are probably sick of lists, but here is another one, so bear with me.
Four of the best undrafted free agents that have made a name for themselves in the NFL
1)Priest Holmes, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Yes, Priest Holmes did go undrafted.It’s amazing no one took a gamble on this guy in the later rounds of the draft.The Baltimore Ravens signed Holmes in 1997 as a rookie from Texas.He played with the Ravens from 1997 to 2000 and became a Kansas City Chief as the starting running back.In Kansas City, Holmes became a household name.In his first season, Holmes became a Pro Bowler, being the first undrafted free agent to win an NFL rushing title since 1954.Holmes broke the single season touchdown record in 2003 with 27 touchdowns and has been considered an elite runner since coming to Kansas City.Sadly, Holmes has been plagued with injures throughout his career and we might have seen the end of Holmes’ career, due to a career threatening injury earlier this season.Words cannot describe the fact that Holmes went undrafted.The only word that comes to mind is “Wow.”
2)Antonio Pierce, LB, New York Giants
Pierce is easily one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL today.He is a leader on the field and a student of the game.Somehow, even with all these leadership skills and talent, Pierce went undrafted and was signed by the Washington Redskins.Coaches loved his talent and he played all 16 games as a rookie, mostly on special teams.Pierce started games throughout his career but was never a permanent starter.In 2004, after injuries hurt the Washington linebacking core, Pierce became a full time starter, opening the eyes of players, coaches, and fans all across America.He showed great talent and great instint on the field and was considered a top linebacker after the 2004 season.He signed with the New York Giants and has showed people he is no one hit wonder.
3)Kurt Warner, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Warner, one of the better quarterbacks in the history of the NFL (statically speaking) was, in fact, undrafted.He was signed by the Green Bay Packers in 1994 and played in the Arena Football League from 1995 until 1997.The St. Louis Rams signed him in late 1997 and in 1999, his first year as a starter, Warner lead the Rams to a Super Bowl victory.He won the MVP award and Super Bowl MVP award in 1999 as was considered an elite QB in the league. He was one of the reasons why “The Greatest Show on Turf” was so great: Warner has great accuracy and makes good decisions in the pocket.Warner has seen his share of injuries and has traveled from team to team in recent years.In recent weeks, as the quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals, Warner has put up fine numbers while his team struggles.Warner’s career may end soon, due to the fact he is an aging quarterback who cannot stay healthy, but his contribution to the Rams will never be forgotten.Warner is a classy guy and he will go into the history books was one of the better quarterbacks, statically, of all time.
4)Wayne Chrebet, WR, New York Jets
Chrebet may not be the flashiest receiver or the best receiver in the NFL, but he is definitely one of the toughest.Chrebet gives his all on the field: he suffered his ninth concussion earlier this year and will be forced to retire, but no one can match his toughness.Chrebet will do whatever it takes to help his team.He’ll take hit after hit, only to get back up again and do it all again.Signed by the Jets before the 1995 season, Chrebet was an undrafted wide receiver coming out of Hofstra University in New York.One has to admire Chrebet for his attitude and toughness.The man, no matter how hard he gets hit, is willing to do it again.He may not have the best numbers (41 career touchdowns and a career high of nine touchdowns) but he definitely has the heart and commitment.People should look up to Chrebet: the man simply does not give up.
There you have it folks, four of the best players that were undrafted coming out of college.We all want to see where Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, and Vince Young will get drafted, but I will be excited to see which undrafted free agent will have the biggest impact on his team in his rookie year.It’s the guys like that that make you wonder “What are the scouts looking at?”
As always, comments/suggestions/criticisms are welcomed and encouraged.
Every April, college football players all across the country anxiously wait to hear the news that they have been drafted by an NFL team.Many know they will get drafted while many hope and pray they are drafted in the later rounds.Chase Blackburn, linebacker for the New York Giants, was not drafted in the 2005 NFL draft.He was signed by the Giants after the draft as an undrafted free agent and has worked his way onto the team as a special teams player.However, less than three hours before the Giants game against the Kansas City Chiefs on December 17, Blackburn was told he was starting as the middle linebacker for the Giants.However, Blackburn was overshadowed by one of the running backs on the field, who had another big day with dazzling statistics.
Tiki Barber, running back for the New York Giants, accumulated over 240 yards from the line of scrimmage, 220 of those yards coming on the ground.Barber, the Giants all time rushing leader, broke tackles and made the Chiefs defense look uninterested and lazy.Barber broke tackle after tackle, having runs of 55 yards, 41 yards, and 20 yards, the last two resulting in touchdowns.
The day started it poor for Barber, carrying the ball six times for only six yards.On the opposite side of the ball, Kansas City running back Larry Johnson looked like the best running back on the field early on.Johnson hit the holes that his offensive line gave him and it appeared Johnson would run up and down the field, leaving Giant defenders, including Chase Blackburn, in the dust.
The game started off as a defensive struggle, as neither team had much success getting into the end zone in the first half.Barber was the first to find the end zone on his 41 yard touchdown run late in the second quarter, and the teams went into the locker rooms at the half with the Giants leading 10-3.
Behind a tattered offensive line missing 2 starters, tackles Luke Petitgout and Kareem McKenzie, Barber showed his dominance and skill in the second half.It seems whenever the Giants needed a big gain, Tiki Barber was there to give it to them.He waited patiently for holes to open and continued to break tackles.
But Barber was not the only one breaking tackles yesterday.Amani Toomer, the Giants number two wide receiver, broke tackles to score a touchdown on a 31 yard strike from Eli Manning.Toomer showed tremendous flexibility, for his knee was inches from the turf, yet he managed to stay up and run into the end zone for the touchdown.
Johnson found the end zone in the third quarter and later in the fourth, but his two touchdown, 167 yard performance was overshadowed by Barber’s record setting day.Barber broke the Giants’ single game rushing record, formerly held by Gene Roberts in 1950, and also broke his own record for rushing yards in a season, which he set last season.
Jared Allen, Chiefs’ defensive end, was disappointed with the lack of tackling.“They broke tackles. They ran all over us.When you're not tackling, that's what happens.”
As the game ended, Giant fans cheered “Tiki” and “M-V-P,” believing Barber should be considered from the Most Valuable Player award.His contribution to the team cannot be overlooked: he has taken the team on his shoulders and lead the Giants to victory.However, the chances Barber is given the award are rather slim, due to other fabulous seasons by Seattle Seahawks’ running back Shawn Alexander and Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning.
The Giants won 27-17 and Barber was in fact the star of the game.But this game is surely a game Chase Blackburn, the rookie linebacker who was put in the starting role just hours before kickoff, will never forget.
As always, comments/suggestions/criticisms are welcomed.
It's a long one, but I hope you guys read it and enjoy it.
Defensive Player of the Year? Someone you might not expect... Pierce Could Suprise People. Written by InTikiITrust
As the season winds down, the talk of regular season awards is beginning to pick up.Will Peyton Manning win another Most Valuable Player award?Can anyone challenge Lofa Tatupu for the Defensive Rookie of the Year?Which rookie running back will win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award?
One of the most interesting and competitive awards is the Defensive Player of the Year award.Past winners have included Ed Reed (Ravens), Ray Lewis (Ravens), Derrick Brooks (Buccaneers), and Michael Strahan (Giants).With so many good defensive players in the NFL today, who will win it?
It appears that Brian Urlacher, middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears, is a top choice for this award, for he is one of the most important members of that Chicago defense, which has drawn comparisons to the vaunted 1986 Chicago Bears defense.Urlacher has put up impressive stats and his knowledge of the game is a big part of the success of the defense.
Should he win the Defensive Player of the Year award?That I cannot tell you, but I can tell that there is one player who has had a great affect on his defense and the rest of this team: New York Giants’ middle linebacker, Antonio Pierce.
Who?You mean that undrafted linebacker from Arizona that had one good year in Washington?That no-name player who fit incredible well in Gregg Williams’ system?The one that went to the New York Giants for big money?What has he done all year?
While I hope no one asked themselves those questions when they first read the name Antonio Pierce, it is clear that Pierce has been one of the most underrated players on the New York Giants this year.With Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress, Jeremy Shockey, and Tiki Barber on the offensive side of the ball, it is easy to focus on the offensive firepower the Giants have and ignore the fabulous middle linebacker that has held the defense together.This is quite understandable, considering the media and the fans love offense and high scoring games.
To give you an idea of the type of season Antonio Pierce is having, take a look at these stats.In 13 games, Pierce has 100 total tackles, two and a half sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble, eleven passes defended, and one defensive touchdown.or the record, Urlacher has 103 total tackles, six sacks, zero interceptions, one forced fumble, four passes defended, and one touchdown.)Impressive stats, but even more impressive when you consider the fact that missed part of the first half and the entire second half against the Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday.
Now I know what you are all asking.“Does Antonio Pierce have the best statistics of any middle linebacker in the NFL?”Not quite, but let us examine something that cannot be measured: leadership.
Leadership might be the strongest point of Antonio Pierce’s game.Some may call him the quarterback of the New York Giants’ defense: he’s the one who makes sure everyone knows his assignments and makes sure everyone is set.Pierce watches endless amounts of film, often times on game day before he dresses for the game.A perfect example of his knowledge of the game was against the Dallas Cowboys on December 4th: Pierce recognized the offensive formation the Cowboys were in and knew what play they were going to run.He told defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy, who read the play and burst into the backfield, forcing a fumble.Pierce picked up the fumble and ran it into the endzone for his only touchdown of the year.After the game, Pierce remarked that “You've got to know what your opponent is doing.”
After Pierce left the Eagles game this past Sunday, the defense looked like a small gang of chickens running around without their heads.Men missed assignments, the physical play of the team was diminished, and the defense lacked intensity.To me, at least, it is clear that Pierce is the heart and soul of the Giants’ defense.The Giants might be without their leader on Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, due to a high ankle sprain.If Pierce can come back and lead the defense in the final two games, he should seriously be considered for Defensive Player of the Year.What player has more of an impact on his defense?I cannot think of one.
Does this make Pierce the best middle linebacker in the game?That I do not know, but I do know he is a smart football player who should be considered for the Defensive Player of the Year award.The Giants defense surely would not be the same without his physical play and leadership on the field.
Stats from yahoo.com.
Comments, suggestions, criticisms are always suggested.
Just saying hello and glad to be here....hopefully some of you read my articles and comment on them. I'll mostly be writing about the Giants, but try to throw out some NFL articles as well.
It should be a good time if we all get really into it. So let's do it guys...do you have a reason not to?
