With all its ups and downs, the 2011 Giants season was the most
satisfying and fulfilling season that I've ever followed, in any sport. It stands alone, complete and special, no matter what happens in
2012. But what I welcome most regarding the 2012 Giants, is the
opportunity to defend their title.
How did the Giants fare in their previous 3 chances?
1987 -
Started 0-5, including the players' strike that lasted 3 weeks,
during which the Giants replacement players went 0-3. They
finished 6-9 and missed the playoffs.
1991 - Bill Parcells quit
(I'm not calling it a retirement as he returned to coach 3 more teams) -
and the head coaching job was given to Ray Handley, a name that makes
just about any Giants fan cringe. They finished 8-8, and again,
missed the playoffs following a Super Bowl win.
2008 - With most
of the miracle 2007 team minus Michael Strahan back for another run,
they started 11-1, and looked unbeatable at times. But then Plaxico
Burress shot himself and the team wasn't the same. They went 1-3 in
their last 4 regular season games, finishing 12-4, and still earning 1st
round bye...but came out flat in the divisional round and suffered a
brutal 23-11 home loss to the Eagles.
So, needless to say, the
Giants haven't fared well in title defenses their previous 3 tries.
But, I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with the
opportunity this year. And when it comes to the Giants, title defense
season or not, we should be prepared to expect the unexpected.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
2004-2010 Giants and Jets draft reviews
2004
Giants
2nd round pick Chris Snee, has been an anchor on the offensive line from the start, and is a 3-time Pro Bowl selection. 4th rounder Reggie Torbor, 5th rounder Gibril Wilson, and 7th rounder Derrick Ward all played roles in helping the Giants win the Super Bowl in the 2007 season, and all are still in league. But the main story here, of course, is Eli Manning, the kind of #1 overall pick, and once in a generation player that you do give up multiple 1st round picks to get. Thank you, then GM Ernie Accorsi, for the best QB the Giants have ever had.
Grade: A+. Simply put, the foundation of a champion.
Jets
1st round pick Jonathan Vilma was with the team until 2007, and I felt he got a raw deal when he was pushed out the door by the Mangini regime because they deemed he didn't fit their 3-4 scheme. He's gone on to have a solid 2nd act with the Saints. Cornerback Derrick Strait, their 3rd round pick, was out of the league within two years, but they got good value in round 4 with receiver Jerricho Cotchery who was with the team through 2010, until he too was given a raw deal when the team decided on a whim they needed Derrick Mason instead. Mason was then released midseason. Cotchery spent 2011 with the Steelers. 5th rounder Safety Erik Coleman played 4 years with the team, and is currently a Lion.
Grade: B-. Some good players, but no lasting impact.
Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2004 here.
2005
Giants
Only 4 draft choices, but it was definitely a case of quality over quantity. 2nd round pick Corey Webster has been a mainstay at cornerback, and enters 2012, his 8th year with the team, looking as good as ever. 3rd round pick Justin Tuck is a dominant, versatile end, who has been the heart and soul of the defense, has 45 1/2 career sacks, and will go down as one of the best defensive linemen in Giants history. And that wasn't all...in the 4th round, the Giants got Brandon Jacobs, who rushed for over 4800 yards, and a franchise record 56 Touchdowns, before leaving for the 49ers last month in free agency. Even 6th round pick, defensive end Eric Moore, has hung around the league with 4 teams, and has been a Patriot the past two.
Grade: A. Another Ernie Accorsi masterpiece that would pay dividends for years to come..
Jets
Also didn't have a 1st round pick in 2005, but did have two seconds, and used them on K Mike Nugent, and CB Justin Miller. Nugent is currently a Bengal, with a career accuracy over 80%, but the 2nd round has proven to be too high for him. Miller found a niche as a kick returner, but played his last NFL game in 2009. The 3rd round brought the Jets Defensive Tackle Siona Pouha, still a key contributor with the team, and 4th and 6th round choices, Safety Kerry Rhodes and Tight End Joel Dressen, are still in the league, with Rhodes in Arizona and Dressen in Houston.
Grade: C+. Best summed up with, "Eh."
Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2005 here.
2006
Giants
Ernie Accorsi's last draft. The Giants took Mathias Kiwanuka in the 1st round, a slightly better than servicable pro who has done an admirable job switching between defensive end, and outside linebacker. I'd like to see him back in the end rotation full-time going forward. 2nd round pick Sinorice Moss was a bust, as was 3rd round pick Gerris Wilkinson. They really rebounded in the 4th round though, with Barry Cofield, dependable and durable at defensive tackle until getting a big contract in free agency with Washington following the 2010 season. Fellow 4th round pick Guy Whimper, and 5th round pick Charlie Peprah, didn't do much as Giants, but were still in the league elsewhere through 2011.
Grade: C. Kiwanuka and Cofield are good players, but Accorsi didn't come away with the kind of depth he would have hoped for.
Jets
Surprisingly fruitful. First year GM Mike Tannenbaum, succeeding Terry Bradway, came away with an excellent haul of talent. T D'Brickashaw Ferguson wasn't quite #4 overall material, but isn't a bust by any means. C Nick Mangold, taken late in the 1st round, is one of the best at his position, and while QB Kellen Clemens in the 2nd round didn't work out, 3rd rounder S Eric Smith, 4th rounder WR/KR Brad Smith, another 4th rounder, HB/KR Leon Washington, certainly did.
Grade: A-. A draft that really helped the Jets rebuild quickly, and paved the way for two AFC divisional round victories at the end of the decade.
Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2006 here.
2007
Giants
To say that 1st year General Manager Jerry Reese was up to the task would be a gross understatement. 1st round pick Aaron Ross was taken a little high, but even if you swap his spot with 2nd round pick Steve Smith, you still come out ahead. 3rd round pick Jay Alford didn't have much of career, but who could forget his thunderous sack of Tom Brady in the final moments of Super Bowl 42. 4th round pick Zak DeOssie is still the team's primary long snapper, and 5th round pick Kevin Boss was dependable. And Reese saved the best gem for last, RB Ahmad Bradshaw in the 7th round.
Grade: B+. The class gets a little bonus because so many of them immediately stepped in and contributed to a championship, even if this group has fallen off a bit since.
Jets
Only had 4 choices, but made the most of them, first taking All-Pro CB Darrelle Revis in the 1st round, with the 14th overall pick. They hit another home run in the 2nd round, with LB David Harris. 6th round pick T Jacob Bender didn't pan out, but 7th rounder WR Chansi Stuckey did.
Grade: A. If you're only going to have 4 picks, this is how it's done.
Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2007 here.
2008
Giants
Reese picked up where he left off in 2007, adding another layer of young talent. The defending Super Bowl champs drafted at the tail end of each round as they will in 2012, and Reese took two defensive backs in the first two rounds. Had it not been for knee injuries, Kenny Phillips and Terrell Thomas might have been two of the league's elite. Still, a good start, and Reese followed up with WR Mario Manningham in the 3rd, now Rams LB Brian Kehl in the 4th, and another victim of serious knee injury, LB Jonathan Goff in the 5th.
Grade: B-. A pretty solid draft with no real busts...and thank you one last time Manningham, for the sideline catch in Super Bowl 46.
Jets
Spent the #6 overall pick on Vernon Gholston, who would record just 16 tackles, and no sacks, before being released following the 2010 season. They rebounded nicely by taking TE Dustin Keller later in the 1st round, but the rest of this draft class, CB Dwight Lowery, QB Erik Ainge, WR Marcus Henry, and T Nate Garner, didn't give them much either.
Grade: D. Keller's good, but you just can't miss on a pick that early, as badly as they did with Gholston.
Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2008 here.
2009
Giants
They took a lot of raw talent - some has worked out, and some hasn't, at least not yet. 1st round pick WR Hakeem Nicks is a game-changing player, and might end up the best Giants receiver ever. 2nd round pick LB Clint Sintim spent the 2011 season on injured reserve with a torn ACL, and next year might be his last chance to stick. 3rd round choice T Will Beatty looks promising at tackle, as does WR Ramses Barden, but both sorely need to flash a lot more in 2012. Another 3rd rounder, TE Travis Beckum, hadn't shown much before tearing his ACL in Super Bowl 46, and that may turn out to be his last game. 4th round pick HB Andre Brown, after spending most of his career on the practice squad, might face a make or break year in 2012, after the departure of Brandon Jacobs.
Grade: B. 3 years ago and it's already almost too early to judge this draft, but Nicks carries this class, and I'm projecting breakout years from Barden and Beatty.
Jets
Just three picks: Round 1, number 5 overall, Mark Sanchez, Round 3, number 65, Shonn Greene, and round 6, number 193, Matt Slauson. Sanchez and Greene are entrenched in the Jets backfield for better or worse, going into their 4th season.
Grade: D+. It's not that Sanchez and Greene are quite that bad...but having made such commitments to these two, especially Sanchez, the Jets deprived themselves of the ability to go in another direction, which almost makes it worse than if they hadn't drafted these players at all.
Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2009 here.
2010
Giants
In the 1st round, they took maybe the greatest singular Giants defensive force since Lawrence Taylor, in DE Jason Pierre Paul. 2nd round pick DT Linval Joseph also looks like a keeper, and I would love to see these two play together on the Giants' line for another 10 years. 3rd round pick S Chad Jones was injured in a serious car accident shortly after being drafted, and is still trying to fight his way back. 5th round choice, G Mitch Petrus, looks to be a good one, and really helped spark the running game whenever he filled in last season. 6th round pick DE Adrian Tracy is still around, but understandably will have a hard time finding his way into the rotation.
Grade: A-. So hard to project after two seasons, but sure looks promising.
Jets
Another thin class, with just 4 players - Kyle Wilson in the 1st, Vladimir Ducasse in the 2nd, Joe McKnight in the 4th, and John Conner in the 5th.
Grade: C. McKnight seems to have found a niche as a change of pace back, and Conner looks to be a solid starting fullback. That's all I can give you on this class, for in a Joe Morgan like moment, I must admit that with the exception of bits and pieces of a few games, I haven't seen them play...but I hope they can be more consistent.
Overall, I tried not to be swayed too much by two biases - my Giants fan bias...and the Super Bowl bias, which is that when you win a Super Bowl, it's hard to not look at a draft as a complete success, because you won a Super Bowl (or two) with these players.
I can't wait to see the Giants do Thursday through Saturday. This is a great time of year because more than any other single aspect of the league, the draft is what the saying, "In Reese We Trust," is all about.
Giants
2nd round pick Chris Snee, has been an anchor on the offensive line from the start, and is a 3-time Pro Bowl selection. 4th rounder Reggie Torbor, 5th rounder Gibril Wilson, and 7th rounder Derrick Ward all played roles in helping the Giants win the Super Bowl in the 2007 season, and all are still in league. But the main story here, of course, is Eli Manning, the kind of #1 overall pick, and once in a generation player that you do give up multiple 1st round picks to get. Thank you, then GM Ernie Accorsi, for the best QB the Giants have ever had.
Grade: A+. Simply put, the foundation of a champion.
Jets
1st round pick Jonathan Vilma was with the team until 2007, and I felt he got a raw deal when he was pushed out the door by the Mangini regime because they deemed he didn't fit their 3-4 scheme. He's gone on to have a solid 2nd act with the Saints. Cornerback Derrick Strait, their 3rd round pick, was out of the league within two years, but they got good value in round 4 with receiver Jerricho Cotchery who was with the team through 2010, until he too was given a raw deal when the team decided on a whim they needed Derrick Mason instead. Mason was then released midseason. Cotchery spent 2011 with the Steelers. 5th rounder Safety Erik Coleman played 4 years with the team, and is currently a Lion.
Grade: B-. Some good players, but no lasting impact.
Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2004 here.
2005
Giants
Only 4 draft choices, but it was definitely a case of quality over quantity. 2nd round pick Corey Webster has been a mainstay at cornerback, and enters 2012, his 8th year with the team, looking as good as ever. 3rd round pick Justin Tuck is a dominant, versatile end, who has been the heart and soul of the defense, has 45 1/2 career sacks, and will go down as one of the best defensive linemen in Giants history. And that wasn't all...in the 4th round, the Giants got Brandon Jacobs, who rushed for over 4800 yards, and a franchise record 56 Touchdowns, before leaving for the 49ers last month in free agency. Even 6th round pick, defensive end Eric Moore, has hung around the league with 4 teams, and has been a Patriot the past two.
Grade: A. Another Ernie Accorsi masterpiece that would pay dividends for years to come..
Jets
Also didn't have a 1st round pick in 2005, but did have two seconds, and used them on K Mike Nugent, and CB Justin Miller. Nugent is currently a Bengal, with a career accuracy over 80%, but the 2nd round has proven to be too high for him. Miller found a niche as a kick returner, but played his last NFL game in 2009. The 3rd round brought the Jets Defensive Tackle Siona Pouha, still a key contributor with the team, and 4th and 6th round choices, Safety Kerry Rhodes and Tight End Joel Dressen, are still in the league, with Rhodes in Arizona and Dressen in Houston.
Grade: C+. Best summed up with, "Eh."
Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2005 here.
2006
Giants
Ernie Accorsi's last draft. The Giants took Mathias Kiwanuka in the 1st round, a slightly better than servicable pro who has done an admirable job switching between defensive end, and outside linebacker. I'd like to see him back in the end rotation full-time going forward. 2nd round pick Sinorice Moss was a bust, as was 3rd round pick Gerris Wilkinson. They really rebounded in the 4th round though, with Barry Cofield, dependable and durable at defensive tackle until getting a big contract in free agency with Washington following the 2010 season. Fellow 4th round pick Guy Whimper, and 5th round pick Charlie Peprah, didn't do much as Giants, but were still in the league elsewhere through 2011.
Grade: C. Kiwanuka and Cofield are good players, but Accorsi didn't come away with the kind of depth he would have hoped for.
Jets
Surprisingly fruitful. First year GM Mike Tannenbaum, succeeding Terry Bradway, came away with an excellent haul of talent. T D'Brickashaw Ferguson wasn't quite #4 overall material, but isn't a bust by any means. C Nick Mangold, taken late in the 1st round, is one of the best at his position, and while QB Kellen Clemens in the 2nd round didn't work out, 3rd rounder S Eric Smith, 4th rounder WR/KR Brad Smith, another 4th rounder, HB/KR Leon Washington, certainly did.
Grade: A-. A draft that really helped the Jets rebuild quickly, and paved the way for two AFC divisional round victories at the end of the decade.
Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2006 here.
2007
Giants
To say that 1st year General Manager Jerry Reese was up to the task would be a gross understatement. 1st round pick Aaron Ross was taken a little high, but even if you swap his spot with 2nd round pick Steve Smith, you still come out ahead. 3rd round pick Jay Alford didn't have much of career, but who could forget his thunderous sack of Tom Brady in the final moments of Super Bowl 42. 4th round pick Zak DeOssie is still the team's primary long snapper, and 5th round pick Kevin Boss was dependable. And Reese saved the best gem for last, RB Ahmad Bradshaw in the 7th round.
Grade: B+. The class gets a little bonus because so many of them immediately stepped in and contributed to a championship, even if this group has fallen off a bit since.
Jets
Only had 4 choices, but made the most of them, first taking All-Pro CB Darrelle Revis in the 1st round, with the 14th overall pick. They hit another home run in the 2nd round, with LB David Harris. 6th round pick T Jacob Bender didn't pan out, but 7th rounder WR Chansi Stuckey did.
Grade: A. If you're only going to have 4 picks, this is how it's done.
Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2007 here.
2008
Giants
Reese picked up where he left off in 2007, adding another layer of young talent. The defending Super Bowl champs drafted at the tail end of each round as they will in 2012, and Reese took two defensive backs in the first two rounds. Had it not been for knee injuries, Kenny Phillips and Terrell Thomas might have been two of the league's elite. Still, a good start, and Reese followed up with WR Mario Manningham in the 3rd, now Rams LB Brian Kehl in the 4th, and another victim of serious knee injury, LB Jonathan Goff in the 5th.
Grade: B-. A pretty solid draft with no real busts...and thank you one last time Manningham, for the sideline catch in Super Bowl 46.
Jets
Spent the #6 overall pick on Vernon Gholston, who would record just 16 tackles, and no sacks, before being released following the 2010 season. They rebounded nicely by taking TE Dustin Keller later in the 1st round, but the rest of this draft class, CB Dwight Lowery, QB Erik Ainge, WR Marcus Henry, and T Nate Garner, didn't give them much either.
Grade: D. Keller's good, but you just can't miss on a pick that early, as badly as they did with Gholston.
Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2008 here.
2009
Giants
They took a lot of raw talent - some has worked out, and some hasn't, at least not yet. 1st round pick WR Hakeem Nicks is a game-changing player, and might end up the best Giants receiver ever. 2nd round pick LB Clint Sintim spent the 2011 season on injured reserve with a torn ACL, and next year might be his last chance to stick. 3rd round choice T Will Beatty looks promising at tackle, as does WR Ramses Barden, but both sorely need to flash a lot more in 2012. Another 3rd rounder, TE Travis Beckum, hadn't shown much before tearing his ACL in Super Bowl 46, and that may turn out to be his last game. 4th round pick HB Andre Brown, after spending most of his career on the practice squad, might face a make or break year in 2012, after the departure of Brandon Jacobs.
Grade: B. 3 years ago and it's already almost too early to judge this draft, but Nicks carries this class, and I'm projecting breakout years from Barden and Beatty.
Jets
Just three picks: Round 1, number 5 overall, Mark Sanchez, Round 3, number 65, Shonn Greene, and round 6, number 193, Matt Slauson. Sanchez and Greene are entrenched in the Jets backfield for better or worse, going into their 4th season.
Grade: D+. It's not that Sanchez and Greene are quite that bad...but having made such commitments to these two, especially Sanchez, the Jets deprived themselves of the ability to go in another direction, which almost makes it worse than if they hadn't drafted these players at all.
Listen to the Sports Limelight Extra for 2009 here.
2010
Giants
In the 1st round, they took maybe the greatest singular Giants defensive force since Lawrence Taylor, in DE Jason Pierre Paul. 2nd round pick DT Linval Joseph also looks like a keeper, and I would love to see these two play together on the Giants' line for another 10 years. 3rd round pick S Chad Jones was injured in a serious car accident shortly after being drafted, and is still trying to fight his way back. 5th round choice, G Mitch Petrus, looks to be a good one, and really helped spark the running game whenever he filled in last season. 6th round pick DE Adrian Tracy is still around, but understandably will have a hard time finding his way into the rotation.
Grade: A-. So hard to project after two seasons, but sure looks promising.
Jets
Another thin class, with just 4 players - Kyle Wilson in the 1st, Vladimir Ducasse in the 2nd, Joe McKnight in the 4th, and John Conner in the 5th.
Grade: C. McKnight seems to have found a niche as a change of pace back, and Conner looks to be a solid starting fullback. That's all I can give you on this class, for in a Joe Morgan like moment, I must admit that with the exception of bits and pieces of a few games, I haven't seen them play...but I hope they can be more consistent.
Overall, I tried not to be swayed too much by two biases - my Giants fan bias...and the Super Bowl bias, which is that when you win a Super Bowl, it's hard to not look at a draft as a complete success, because you won a Super Bowl (or two) with these players.
I can't wait to see the Giants do Thursday through Saturday. This is a great time of year because more than any other single aspect of the league, the draft is what the saying, "In Reese We Trust," is all about.
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