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Under normal circumstances, and considering normal pro football executives, such statements don’t get verbalized.
But general manager Jerry Reese has become famous for speaking his mind, for speaking out regardless of the impact he makes, and so the other day at training camp he was asked to deliver his opinion of the 2009 version of his team.
He said: “We have enough to win, win big and win it all.”
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Those kinds of words, coming from the general manager before his season even starts, are highly unorthodox.
Reese, however, has reason for such optimism, and of course he couches it all behind the age-old pro sports mantra of “if we avoid injuries.”
Still, he is surprisingly optimistic, and further questioning discloses several reasons for that ebullient attitude.
“We did the best we could during the offseason to get the players we thought we needed, the parts to the big puzzle, if you will,” he said. “No team in this league has everything. You can’t get everything. But that’s kind of a good thing, too, because it makes you focus harder and strain even more to get there.”
Reese likes his rookie class, and in some cases he loves it.
“I think the two receivers (Hakeem Nicks(notes), first round; Ramses Barden(notes), third) are going to contribute right away,” he says. “Both are exceptional talents, both have the size and the speed, and I think Hakeem is going to really surprise everybody.”
Does that mean he could start?
“Anything is possible,” he says, but his sly smile gives him away.
Indeed, the best team any wide receiver could have hoped would draft him was probably the Giants. Veteran Amani Toomer(notes), the all-time leading receiver in franchise history, was not offered a contract (and subsequently signed for one year in Kansas City last week). Plaxico Burress(notes), of course, shot himself off the squad and is now facing possible jail time.
The backups were all inexperienced, to one degree or another, and at the moment Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon(notes) are penciled in as the starters. Add to that mix such as Mario Manningham(notes) and Sinorice Moss(notes), David Tyree(notes) and Derek Hagan(notes), Shaun Bodiford(notes) and Taye Biddle(notes), and then stir in Nicks and Barden and there is going to be intense competition for the five or six final roster spots.
Nicks is 6-feet and 200 with 4.0 speed in the 40-yard dash. Barden is 6-6 and 230, a Plaxico clone, with 4.5 speed and hands the size of milk cartons.
“I think our wide receiver set will be fine,” Reese adds.
He is equally optimistic about several positional areas, mostly the defensive line. The Giants signed tackle-end Chris Canty(notes) (from Dallas) and tackle Rocky Bernard(notes) (from Seattle) during the UFA period and Pro Bowl end Osi Umenyiora(notes) returns after missing 2008 with knee surgery.
Add to that Pro Bowl end Justin Tuck(notes), end-strongside linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka(notes), tackles Jay Alford(notes), Fred Robbins(notes) and Barry Cofield(notes), ends Dave Tollefson(notes) and rookie Maurice Evans, and there is way too much competition, and way too many to keep.
Or perhaps not.
“Our goal,” Reese states, “is to keep the 53 best players, and there is no real formula. Why keep a third tight end if he isn’t good enough and release a sixth wide receiver or a seventh or eighth defensive lineman who can play?
Remember, his expectations for the Giants are clear: “win, win big and win it all.”
Camp Calendar: The Giants’ training camp on the campus of UAlbany in upstate New York will close Aug. 25.
NOTES, QUOTES
• Rookie WR Hakeem Nicks, the team’s first-round draft pick, emerged as an early acceptance recruit at the University of North Carolina when he was a junior in high school In Charlotte, N.C. Thus he was not recruited by any other major colleges. “I always wanted to go there and I made the choice as soon as my SAT scores were announced,” he said. Oh, his score was 1380.
• DE Osi Umenyiora, who missed all of last season due to knee surgery for an injury suffered last Aug. 23 in the third exhibition game vs. the Jets, was asked if this was new and exciting, the fact that he’s back and 100 percent healthy.
“No, I had this last year,” he said. “I had the first two preseason games. I had most of the third. What happened after that is what I missed, so I can’t wait for the fourth preseason game and the start of the regular season.”
• DE Mathias Kiwanuka, who can also play strong-side linebacker, will lose his starting job due to Osi Umenyiora’s return.
“I don’t mind the role as a reserve,” he said, “especially in our defense where we rotate the linemen so much. But I do miss the title of starter. It’s an ego thing.”
• OLT David Diehl(notes) has about had it with the constant comments that he would be better suited at left guard and that he isn’t quick enough to stay with the fast pass-rushing defensive ends.
“I gave up six sacks last year,” he said. “Four of them were to (Dallas) OLB DeMarcus Ware(notes). But I think he got 22 sacks last year, and I don’t think all the others came against lousy tackles.”
• RB Danny Ware(notes), jokingly commenting on the new nickname for the Giants’ backfield—The Killer B’s—said that stems from Brandon Jacobs(notes), Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) and rookie Andre Brown(notes).
“I start with a W,” he said, “and that stands for win, doesn’t it?”
Quote To Note: “The pro players are just so much quicker at the snap of the ball, and they have all this information to process in a split second. The first three or four days of practice it was like my head was on a swivel.”—WR Hakeem Nicks, the Giants’ first-round draft pick.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
• The Giants are not yet ready to trim their roster, although there should be movement sometime during this upcoming week. In point of specification, there are too many D-linemen and WRs to make the final roster, and there have been rumblings of a trade for a 2010 draft choice.
• LG Rich Seubert(notes) (shoulder) has forced himself back into practices, despite continuing pain. He is known for that, and the coaches are aware of his high threshold for pain which they take into account when he says he’s ready to go.
• TE Michael Matthews(notes), one of the reserves behind starter Kevin Boss(notes) (and, apparently, No. 3 draft pick Travis Beckum(notes)) was clocked by a block from second-round pick Clint Sintim(notes), the 6-2, 256-pound SLB, who continues to prove he’ll not only make the final roster but threaten veteran Danny Clark(notes) for the starting job.
• Free agent Kenny Ingram, a 6-5, 240-pounder from Florida State, has impressed the coaches in workouts and will get a long look in the first preseason game Aug. 17 vs. Carolina.
• Various WRs are not making the weeding-out process easier. Domenik Hixon, Steve Smith and FAs Shaun Bodiford and Derek Hagan all made spectacular catches in the team’s latest practice. Smith leaped over fellow Southern Cal product Terrell Thomas(notes), a cornerback, to make his circus grab.
• CB Corey Webster(notes) and free agent rookie Sha’reff Rashad, a safety, made acrobatic interceptions in Saturday night’s practice.
Battle Of The Week: Rookie Clint Sintim vs. Danny Clark for starting SLB—Sintim, called by general manager Jerry Reese “a full grown man” is bigger, heavier and eight years younger than Clark. He is also faster. It has been noted that he has a nose for the ball, and disassembles blockers on his way to make the tackle. Clark, one of the classy men on the roster, has gone out of his way to help the rookie from Virginia, the first of two second-round picks.
Other Battle Fronts: Rookie QB Rhett Bomar(notes) has held his own so far against second-year Andre Woodson in the fight for the third QB position, and it is more important than other situations because the backup to Eli Manning(notes), veteran David Carr(notes), has said he wants to play for a team where he has a chance at starting next season. That means whoever wins the No. 3 job will move up to become Eli’s backup; and it could also mean that the Giants might find a way to keep both Bomar and Woodson.
Player Of The Week: WR Hakeem Nicks—The top draft pick has proven his stature was deserved by making circus catches in addition to hauling in anything thrown his way. “I don’t remember dropping a pass,” he said, “not here (in camp) or during the minicamps and OTAs. I have unusually big hands and I am sure that helps me.”
Rookie Report: Nicks has been spectacular. … No. 2a Clint Sintim, SLB, seems ready to challenge for a starting job. … No. 2b Will Beatty, ORT, is still adjusting to the pro speed and size and might need more time; he has been blown away by DE Osi Umenyiora so far (which does not mark him as unique). … No. 3a WR Ramses Barden has done well, shown flashes of receiving ability above the norm, but is still struggling to learn the system, having come from Cal-Poly. … No. 3b TE Travis Beckum has been unspectacular but shows better blocking skills than were first expected, and he will probably emerge as the backup (and H-back) behind starter Kevin Boss. … No. 4 RB Andre Brown has shown quickness and an ability to run between the tackles, but it’s going to be some time before he absorbs the blitz-pickup packages that are vital to playing on this offense. … No. 5 QB Rhett Bomar has impressed on occasion but shows rookie tendencies and may have a long way to go. … CBs DeAndre Wright(notes) (sixth round) and Stoney Woodson(notes) (seventh) have shown speed and a willingness to hit and may be considered for special teams.
Injury Report: LG Rich Seubert (shoulder) has resumed practicing. … DT Fred Robbins (knee) participated in some team practice Monday. “He is going to move along now from the individual part to taking part in one a day and he will get a percentage of the plays,” said coach Tom Coughlin. .. DT Barry Cofield (knee) has returned. … WLB Michael Boley(notes) (PUP, hip) is still spending his practice time on the bicycles. … DT Rocky Bernard (Non-Football Injury, hamstring) is keeping Boley company there. .. Nicks suffered a slightly pulled hamstring and rested during Saturday’s practice, but it is not considered in any way serious. … G-C Kevin Boothe(notes) (pectoral muscle) missed part of Saturday night’s practice. … OT Cliff Lewis was carted off the field with an ankle injury.
Never argue with an idiot; they'll drag you down to their level, and beat you with experience
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