Interesting Camp Battle #1: Safety

So, I don't have the greatest access to the internet right now which is the reason I haven't been keeping up with this blog. I don't know how often I will post but I will try to get you one article a week if I can.


The Players:

James Butler: Butler was the Giants starter at SS last year, but was considered by many, including myself, to be the worst starter on the Giants defense in 2007. Supposedly Steve Spagnuolo loves Butler's intelligence but I didn't see that as his problem last year. He seems to know where he needs to be most of the time, but he usually either isn't there or mis-times his hits. Everyone keeps pointing out that he was the leading tackler in the Superbowl. But half of his tackles fell into his lap. In my opinion, Butler will be one of the better backup safeties in the NFL nothing more.

Michael Johnson: Johnson had a pretty great rookie season. He is extremely aggressive, and he has better playing speed than Butler. Johnson actually stole snaps away from Butler at the end of the year when both were healthy as a situational player. Johnson has a potentially bright future in the NFL but needs to build on his strong rookie season.

Sammy Knight: Knight was picked up in free agency this off-season and provides excellent run support and decent coverage as long as he isn't matched up on elite players. He had an up and down season lasy year with the Jags, but I think he is a much better fit for the Giants defense.

Kenny Phillips: Our first round draft choice this year has gotten good reviews from his early practices. He comes from Miami where many great safeties went to school. Phillips has the athleticism to be an elite safety in the NFL but he needs to get the defensive plays down if he wants to play this year.

Opening Day Starters:

I think Sammy Knight's veteran presence will almost guaruntee him a starting job. I also think his run support will help fans forget about the losses of Michael Strahan and Gibril Wilson. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Kenny Phillips wins the other spot. From everything I've heard, Phillips is doing great and the coaching staff loves him. It will really come down to his comfort level and whether he is making the right reads. If he can do that, I don't think anyone will be able to beat him for the second safety spot.


Down the Line:

I think Michael Johnson has tremendous potential and will get some situational playing time again this year. Not to mention he should get plenty of special teams reps. If he continues to show what he showed last year I think he will be able to win a starting job next year. Sammy Knight is nearing the end of his career and may even retire after this season. Butler will probably remain a backup for the rest of his duration with the Giants unless he can really turn it on this year in camp or Phillips fails to get comfortable in our defense. But in the end, I think Kenny Phillips and Michael Johnson will lock down the safety spots for the next 4-5 years starting next year.

Giants First Round Pick: Kenny Phillips

Kenny Phillips is the latest of several safeties from the University of Miami to be drafted in the first round. He came on strong as a youngster in college but suffered a disappointing senior year(although still not bad) last year. He has the size, speed and athleticism to succeed in the NFL, but comparisons to Ed Reed and Sean Taylor are not fair. Phillips is a different type of safety and while he's never going to be a Reed or Taylor I think he will be very solid for us. You can read any of the many scouting reports on him that are floating around out there if you want more details. Here is how I view our 31st pick.

My First Reaction: Outstanding! Phillips was the best choice available when the Giants were put on the clock at the end of the 1st round. If you saw my draft board, you will know that Quentin Groves was my top-rated player left, but I wasn't really expecting Reese to go in that direction. Kenny Phillips makes a lot of sense here.

My Prediction for Phillips: I think Phillips can come in and almost immediately full the void left by Gibril Wilson. He will most likely win the starting job along with newcomer Sammy Knight to form a fairly formiddable, although not spectacular, safety tandem. Two things that I really like about Phillips are his size and intelligence. A lot of people question his motivation so we will have to see how that goes, but I think our group of team leaders and coaches can resolve those problems better than most others. Another thing that I love about this pick is that it move James Butler from being one of the worst starting safeties in the league to being one of the best backup safeties in the league. That could prove to be a major factor as the season unfolds and it has gone largely overlooked in the few days since the draft.

I will be writing up short articles like this for the rest of our draft picks in the next few days. So check back for those.

In the meantime, here is a video of Phillips in action. Just disregard the jibber-jabber at the end...

The Official Kevros NYG Draft Board

I made this draft for fun, so please don't take it too seriously. I made it so I can cross off the guys on my list as they get drafted and then see if the Giants actually select my top remaining candidate. I'm sure this list looks a lot different than most of you are expecting, but in the spirit of fun, I went completely with my own opinion and not the majority consensus.

Before I get to the list, here are a few things that it is and is not:

• This list is NOT a mock draft. I don't think DRC is going to go #3 overall.
• This list is NOT the Giants official Draft Board that Jerry Reese will use for the draft (this is insanely obivous to most I would hope.)
• This is NOT a ranking of all players that might be drafted.
• This is simply a list of my top 75 players and how I would rank them if I were the GM of the Giants.
• I have taken into account the Giants schemes and team needs so this list does not apply to any other NFL team.
• I have completely taken some players out (i.e. there are no QBs in my top 75.)

Feel free to comment on whatever you like, just keep it civil...

The Official Kevros NYG Draft Board

1 OT Jake Long
2 DE Chris Long
3 CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
4 DT Glenn Dorsey
5 CB Leodis McKelvin
6 RB Darren McFadden
7 DE Vernon Gholston
8 DT Sedrick Ellis
9 LB Keith Rivers
10 WR Limas Sweed
11 OG Branden Albert
12 OT Chris Williams
13 LB Quentin Groves
14 S Kenny Phillips
15 CB Antoine Cason
16 WR James Hardy
17 OT Ryan Clady
18 WR DeSean Jackson
19 S Reggie Smith
20 OT Jeff Otah
21 DE Derrick Harvey
22 WR Devin Thomas
23 LB Jerod Mayo
24 DE Phillip Merling
25 CB Aqib Talib
26 CB Brandon Flowers
27 WR Mario Manningham
28 OT Gosder Cherilus
29 LB Dan Connor
30 CB Tracy Porter
31 LB Curtis Lofton
32 DT Trevor Laws
33 RB Chris Johnson
34 DE Calais Campbell
35 RB Rashard Mendenhall
36 OT Sam Baker
37 RB Felix Jones
38 OT Anthony Collins
39 RB Jonathan Stewart
40 CB Mike Jenkins
41 S Tyrell Johnson
42 LB Cliff Avril
43 S DaJuan Morgan
44 LB Erin Henderson
45 WR Donnie Avery
46 CB Patrick Lee
47 OG Chilo Rachal
48 DE Jason Jones
49 OT Carl Nicks
50 LB Xavier Adibi
51 DT Dre Moore
52 DT Kentwan Balmer
53 WR Andre Caldwell
54 RB Matt Forte
55 DE Chris Ellis
56 CB Charles Godfrey
57 CB Tyvon Branch
58 WR Jordy Nelson
59 S Quintin Demps
60 LB Beau Bell
61 WR Malcolm Kelly
62 S Josh Barrett
63 LB Tavares Gooden
64 LB Philip Wheeler
65 WR Early Doucet
66 RB Ray Rice
67 CB Justin King
68 DE Lawrence Jackson
69 DT Letroy Guion
70 S Thomas Decoud
71 LB Shawn Crable
72 WR Eddie Royal
73 OG Roy Schuening
74 RB Jamaal Charles
75 C Mike Pollak

Mock Draft 4

1. Miami Dolphins - DE Chris Long – Long’s on-the-field value is probably very similar to Vernon Gholston’s, but his off-field value pushes him inot the first pick in the draft

2. St. Louis Rams - OT Jake Long – With Orlando Pace pretty much out of the picture, the Rams need a new franchise left tackle. Their offense is loaded at the skill positions but they were still one of the worst offense without solid blocking.

3. Atlanta Falcons – DT Glenn Dorsey – Dorsey should easily fill the void left by Rod Coleman. They could take Matt Ryan here but new GM Dimitroff is smart enough to know rebuilding a team starts in the trenches.

4. Oakland Raiders - RB Darren McFadden – Al Davis continues his whacked out spending spree taking the flashiest pick in this year’s draft.

5. Kansas City Chiefs - OT Chris Williams – KC’s O-line has steadily been declining and they need to get it back on track if they ever want a QB to succeed there again.

6. New York Jets - DE/LB Vernon Gholston – The Jets pass rush was weak last year. Gholston should provide some immediate help with that.

7. New England Patriots (from 49ers) - CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie – I could see the Pats taking DRC, Keith Rivers or trading either up or down. McKelvin doesn’t seem like a Belichick type player and the Pats just signed Hobson allowing them to wait until the 2nd round for a LB.

8. Baltimore Ravens - QB Matt Ryan – McNair is extremely close to the end of his career and Kyle Boller hasn’t shown enough to take the job away from him. The Raven have never had a true franchise QB and this is their chance to finally get one.

9. Cincinnati Bengals - DT Sederick Ellis – They tried to trade for several DTs already this off-season. Since they were awesomely unsuccessful, they take Ellis who is probably better than anyone they were trying to trade for anyway.

10. New Orleans Saints - LB Keith Rivers – The Saints seem happy (not sure why) going into the season with Mike McKenzie and Randall Gay as their starting CBs. Taking Rivers, immediately makes their LBs a feared group having already acquired Vilma from the Jets.

11. Buffalo Bills - WR Limas Sweed – The Bill need someone to take some focus away from Lee Evans and Sweed will be a huge target for their mediocre QBs.

12. Denver Broncos - OT Ryan Clady – Their legendary zone blocking offensive line has been declining and Clady instantly provides a boost.

13. Carolina Panthers - OG Branden Albert – Albert can play OG or OT and the Panthers need a LT so that Jordan Gross can stay at RT. Albert is their man.

14. Chicago Bears - OT Jeff Otah – Another offensive line that has recently declined, the Bear need help.

15. Detroit Lions – RB Rashard Mendenhall – Kevin Jones is a great runner when he’s healthy, but unfortunately that isn’t very often, which forced DET to cut him. Mendenhall is probably the best every-down back in the draft.

16. Arizona Cardinals - CB Leodis McKelvin – Most people don’t think McKelvin will drop this far, but I think there are a lot more teams looking for linemen this year. However, the Cardinals can’t resist the value here.

17. Minnesota Vikings – DE Derrick Harvey – The Viking need more pressure on opposing QBs. Harvey can definitely provide that.

18. Houston Texans - RB Jonathan Stewart – Ahman Green is old and injury prone. They need somebody better than Ron Dayne to come in when Green goes down.

19. Philadelphia Eagles - WR Devin Thomas – Thomas looks to have the potential to be a number one WR in the NFL, which is what Philly needs since Curtis is more of a number two.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - CB Aqib Talib – Talib should thrive in the Tampa 2 and the Bucs are happy to get the heir to Ronde’s throne.

21. Washington Redskins - DE Phillip Merling – The Redskins D line was pretty bad last year and Merling is the best DE left on the board.

22. Dallas Cowboys (from Browns) – CB Mike Jenkins – Anthony Henry is getting up there in age and Dallas lost their nickel, Reeves to free agency.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers - DE/LB Quentin Groves – Groves is an absolute animal and the Steelers will jump at the chance to grab him since there are no OGs available here to replace Faneca.

24. Tennessee Titans - WR DeSean Jackson – It’s pretty simple. Vince Young needs more weapons and Jackson is probably the second best offensive weapon after McFadden

25. Seattle Seahawks - S Kenny Phillips – The Seahawks have the luxury of taking the BPA here and it happens to be Phillips. They could use a TE but it would be a reach to take one here.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars - DE Calais Campbell – Campbell has been dropping down draft charts recently but the Jags need a DE and not much else. They could pick an offensive lineman or trade down with another team trying to get back into the 1st round.

27. San Diego Chargers – OT Gosder Cherilus – The Chargers cut Shane Olivea and they need his replacement at RT.

28. Dallas Cowboys – RB Felix Jones – For some reason Jerry Jones isn’t comfortable with Marion Barber as his every-down back and since he wasn’t able to get McFadden he goes for the other RB from his alma mater.

29. San Francisco 49ers (from Ind.) – WR James Hardy – Whoever is starting at QB will need a better target than Isaac Bruce. Hardy is huge with great speed for his size.

30. Green Bay Packers – CB/S Reggie Smith – The Packers could use him as their nickel back or free safety. Either way he would be an upgrade.

31. New England Patriots (forfeited) - NO PICK

32. New York Giants - CB Antoine Cason – It would be the Giants dream if Cason fell to them. He is considered to be this year’s Aaron Ross and could instantly be one of the best nickels in the NFL.

Quentin Groves on Youtube

I really hope we get this guy at 31:

Early Round Talent

I haven't written anything in a while, but there isn't much to write about. Except, of course, about the upcoming draft. So, I decided to name a few guys that I would love the Giants to draft. They aren't necessarily likely to be available to pick at 31. I by no means, think that these guys are "unknowns" or "sleepers." Just guys that I think would fit in really well with our team and current schemes. For the most part, these are the guys that I probably have ranked higher then the common mock draft would. So here are the two 1st round guys, that I have ranked higher than most.

CB - Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie 6' 2" 184 lbs., Tennessee State - DRC is one of my favorite players coming out in this year's draft. Most people have DRC as their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th ranked CB. But I think he is the best CB for the Giants in this year's draft. His size and amazing athletic ability make him a perfect fit for the attacking style of the Giants defense. He is still a little raw for a top CB prospect, which is why many have McKelvin listed higher than him, but in NY he wouldn't have to start right away. He could take a year to play nickel and work on his technique. His weaknesses, though, are all correctable. He is already working with Deion Sanders on his technique and should be even better than he showed at the combine, by the time camp rolls around. Another reason I would choose DRC over McKelvin is his attitude and intelligence. It's not that DRC's are off the chart, just that McKelvin's leave a whole lot to be desired. Plus, the guy just makes plays. He ran a 4.26 40 (unofficial) and has that ability to change the momentum of the game in the blink of an eye. I really love this guy, even though it's highly unlikely he will be drafted by the Giants.

Pass Rusher - Quentin Groves 6' 3" 259 lbs., Auburn - I listed him as a "pass rusher" because he could play either DE or LB for the Giants. He has a similar build to Mathias Kiwanuka and that lends itself to versatility. Imagine rotating Groves and Kiwi from LB to DE while at the same time moving Justin Tuck from DE to DT. We would have so many pass rushers coming from everywhere and coming from different places on every play, offense would have no idea how to block them. And even if they could figure it out, they wouldn't be able to keep up for a full 60 minutes. All the scheming aside, Groves is an absolute animal. Vernon Gholston is hogging all the glory for being so athletic but this guy is almost as good. In fact, I have him listed as the 3rd best pass rusher behind Chris Long and Gholston. Groves is only 7 pounds lighter than Gholston, ran the 40 in 4.53 seconds (VG in 4.65), and got 30 reps in the bench (VG had 37). Plus, when you watch him play, he just wows you on every play. He has a non-stop motor and would be absolutely devastating in Steve Spanuolo's defense.



NOTE: I am working on a "Big Board" of my favorite top 75 players in the draft. I will post it on here either this weekend or the following weekend. During the draft, I will be crossing off the guys that get drafted to see if my top remaining player is actually the Giants pick. So check back to see my board.

Defense Gets the Green Dots but it Leads to some Interesting Questions

First off, I'd like to state that I really like the idea of allowing defensive players to have radios in their helmets. It evens out the playing field. The NFL seemingly tries to pass rules that benefit offense which in turn leads to more scoring, which then translates into more viewership. That's all fine and good for the marketing big-wigs but to me that just leads to more annoying people watching football and trying to tell me that Quinn Gray is better than Eli Manning because his QB rating was better in week 7 (I have no idea if it really was). I personally love low-scoring, defensive battles. In fact Superbowl 42 was a pretty good example of how exciting they can be. Anyway, on to the radios.

The first question I have is, why can only two defensive players have the radios? Both players will be required to have the green dots on their helmets and only one green dot can be on the field at one time. I don't get why every defensive player (or at least more than 2) can't have a second helmet on the sideline equipped with a green dot and radio? Having only two players can create a big logistical problem. Which leads me to my next question.

Which two players on the Giants defense will get the green dot? I think the obvious answer is that MLB Antonio Pierce will get one, but who gets the other. If the second player is his backup, Chase Blackburn, that would make sense in case Pierce got injured. However, that would mean that a MLB has to be on the field at all times. What if Spags decides he wants Gerris Wilkinson to be the Dime LB? Wilkinson is much faster and better in coverage than Pierce. So, in that case nobody with a radio would be on the field which could cause confusion.

Another problem was brought up by TB LB Derrick Brooks. Brooks feels that this system will not work because there are actually 3 signals that need to be given to the defensive players on each play. One for the line, one for the linebackers, and one for the backs. I get the feeling that Pierce is smart enough to get all 3 calls and relay them to each area of the defense. However, I can see this posing problems for some teams that don't have as much intelligence and leadership as the Giants currently do on their defensive roster.

Like I said, I like the rule change. It's a good thing, but it brings up a lot of questions. Probably more than I have thought of. But none of them are insurmountable. Most of them don't take more than a few minutes to figure out a solution for. But they ARE interesting questions (to me anyway) that need to be dealt with by every team in the NFL. When preseason starts, I will be almost as interested to see who is wearing the green dots on defense as I will be to see who won the starting jobs after training camp. But only time will tell...