Tag Archives: Tom Coughlin

Report: Hakeem Nicks misses OTAs over contract situation

Sam Spiegelman, Contributor

If you haven’t heard yet, Hakeem Nicks did not attend organized team activities Wednesday.

Tom Coughlin said Nicks “should be here,” despite the sessions being voluntary, though Eli Manning said he didn’t expect the wideout to attend.

But while many attributed Nicks’ no-show to his numerous injuries, reports indicate the wide receiver may be sitting out OTAs to express unhappiness with his current contract situation.

Nicks is due $2.725 million this season, the last of his rookie deal. And while the team is currently mangled in complicated negotiations with Victor Cruz, it appears another headache may be on the horizon.

In February, it was reported the Giants were giving Nicks’ next long-term deal priority over that of Cruz, despite Cruz being a restricted free agent and Nicks having one more season left on his contract.

Nicks, who is recovering from a knee scope and a 2012 campaign plagued by both knee and foot injuries, recorded career lows in both yardage and touchdown receptions in 2012.

Coughlin said Nicks could have participated with some “limitations” in order to prevent any setbacks in his recovery.

Of course, Nicks’ health may ultimately prove to be the most important storyline for the 2013 Giants, as the team currently goes on without the services of Cruz.

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Jacquian Williams still recovering from knee injury

Sam Spiegelman, Contributor

Giants linebacker Jacquian Williams is still recovering from a knee injury he suffered during the 2012 season.

The weakside linebacker missed six games last year due to the PCL injury is expected to help fill the void left by the now-departed Michael Boley — arguably the most vital position among the linebacking unit.

“Just kind of taking my time with it,” Williams said. “It is a day to day thing. It is getting better. Definitely better than it was. That’s all.”

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Giants reveal new DT rotation during OTAs

The stalwart of the Giants defense for recent memory has been the defensive line — while the pass rush garners the most attention, it’s the tackles who allow it to come to fruition.

During the first day of organized team activities Wednesday, the team revealed a new defensive tackle rotation amid off-season signing and draft picks.

With Chris Canty now a member of the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens and Rocky Bernard gone, Linval Joseph is one of only a few veterans who remain on the roster from last season.

Also returning is Shaun Rogers, who missed much of 2012 due to a blood clot. Markus Kuhn, the team’s seventh-round pick in last year’s draft, is also expected to have a role as he recovers from a torn ACL.

The team added former Eagles Mike Patterson and Cullen Jenkins via free agency, and drafted Johnathan Hankins in the second round out of Ohio State.

Looking to make amends for the 2012 unit that finished 28th in the NFL and allowed 4.6 yards per rush, this year’s squad appears younger, deeper and more talented.

“This is a new year,” Joseph said. “(Coach Tom Coughlin) always talks about (stopping the run) every year. But he just said it’s a clean plate, and let’s just start off the year the right way and finish the right way. But especially, begin the right way. Get rid of last year and that’s dead to us.”

Joseph has been a starter for Big Blue each of the past two seasons and the fourth off-season for the the team’s second-round selection from the 2010 NFL Draft.

Last year, Joseph finished with 59 tackles and four sacks, double the production from the year prior. In addition to improving on the field, he hopes to grow as a leader for the young defensive tackles.

“You have new faces all over the whole team … You just bring them in, treat them as family, and try to get as much accomplished as you can,” Joseph said.

“You just (tell them) to come in, get in your book, learn, do what everybody tells you to do and try to make plays. Just try to better the team.”

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Storylines as Giants OTAs kick off today

Sam Spiegelman, Contributor

Today marks the first of two New York Giants organized team activity sessions set for this week at the Timex Performance Center in East Rutherford, N.J.

And for a team that did not make the playoffs in 2012, there are a plethora of storylines as new faces and veterans in need to reviving their image return to the field.

1. The health of Hakeem Nicks

Last year, Nicks was a shell of his former self as he battled both foot and lingering knee injuries throughout the season. When it was all said and done, the Giants wideout had the worst season since his first in the NFL, hauling in 53 passes for a career-low 692 yards and three touchdowns.

According to all accounts, Nicks is 100 percent for the upcoming season and has not encountered any setbacks during his recovery. The Giants offense lagged at times without Nicks in the lineup last season, and with Victor Cruz’s contract status up in the air Nicks’ reemergence will be critical to the Giants’ offensive success.

2. The offensive line shuffle

There is no question who will start at left tackle for the G-Men Week 1. The team signed Will Beatty to a six-year deal at the start of the off-season, demonstrating the emphasis on protecting Eli Manning in the pocket.

In the first round of the NFL Draft, the team added another lineman — Justin Pugh of Syracuse — who many believed would become the bookend opposite of Beatty.

There are those, however, who believe Pugh could see snaps at left guard, leaving former fourth-round pick James Brewer to assume to the right tackle role. It should be interesting to see which young lineman gets the nod.

3. Looking to bounce back

Another of big-name Giants suffered down years last season, which coincided with a lack of a playoff berth in New York. Among them: Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Corey Webster and Nicks.

As stated earlier, Nicks battled injuries for the majority of 2012.

Tuck, 30, sacked opposing quarterbacks just four times last year, attributing his lack of production to uncharacteristic play. However, after analyzing game film, Tuck said his frustration became fuel for training during the off-season.

After a breakout campaign in 2011, Pierre-Paul managed just 6.5 sacks last year, to which head coach Tom Coughlin blamed the defensive lineman’s conditioning. He, too, is looking to have a resurgent 2013.

Webster was nearly a casualty this off-season, but the Giants retained the 31-year-old veteran cornerback after he agreed to take a pay cut. The shutdown corner on the Giants’ two Super Bowl-winning squads appeared to have taken a step — or three — back in 2012. He’ll likely start opposite of Prince Amukamara Week 1; it’s just a matter of how long.

4. The linebacker conundrum 

The Giants enter 2013 without a premier player at the linebacker position after Michael Boley was released and Mathias Kiwanuka is believed to be returning to the defensive line.

It’s assumed Keith Rivers, Dan Connor and Jacquian Williams as the starting three, with Mark Herzlich, Spencer Paysinger and recently signed Aaron Curry vying for playing time.

The question is if — and which — any of these backers is going to be a play-maker for the Giants. As it stands now, the Giants’ linebacking corps is the weakest unit of the defense.

5. Rookies looking to emerge

Pugh will likely start somewhere along the offensive line Week 1; Ryan Nassib — maybe not so much.

A number of rookies could make an impact in 2013, though it may be beyond opening day.

Could Johnathan Hankins end up supplanting Cullen Jenkins on the defensive line? If Rivers struggles, could Damontre Moore draw the start at outside linebacker? Or will a late-round pick like Michael Cox or Cooper Taylor end up playing a key role down the stretch of the season?

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Herm Edwards: Bill Parcells, Tom Coughlin rank among 20 best NFL coaches

Sam Spiegelman, Contributor

In an ESPN Insider piece authored by former Jets and Chiefs head coach-turned-analyst Herm Edwards, Giants coaches Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin both crack the top 20 coaches of all time.

Despite beginning his career in New York 3-12-1, Parcells earned the No. 8 spot atop Edwards’ list. Parcells led the G-Men to two Super Bowl titles, using the good old-fashioned ground and pound attack en route to a Hall of Fame career.

“Parcells always inherited teams that weren’t winning, but was able to turn them around using his program and his presence. When Bill Parcells steps into a room, you feel his presence,” writes Edwards. “He has won everywhere he has been with a philosophy of having a big, physical defense and running the ball. And that has led to two Super Bowl wins and a terrific career.”

Coughlin landed at the 15 spot on the rankings. The current Giants head man has also led New York to two Lombardi Trophies, which Edwards believes may also be enough for Coughlin to join Parcells in Canton.

“A strict disciplinarian, Coughlin simply knows how to win. With two Super Bowl titles now under his belt, he’s in the Hall of Fame discussion,”  writes Edwards.

George Halas earned the top spot on Edwards’ list, followed by Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll, Don Shula and Bill Walsh.

Tom Landry and Bill Belichick take the 6 and 7 spot, respectively, with John Madden and Paul Brown rounding out the top 10.

Joe Gibbs, Mike Shanahan, Tony Dungy and Curly Lambeau take spots 11-14, with Bud Grant, George Allen, Dick Vermeil, Marty Schottenheimer and Marv Levy finishing out the top 20.

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Tuesday Morning News: Coughlin and More Coughlin

It’s all about Tom Coughlin this morning.

Coaches around the country are pulling pages out of his new Book, “Earn the Right to Win.”

The entire Arizona St football staff has been assigned to read the book. READ

Yesterday in Florida, Coughlin held his Jay Fund golf outing. Many celebrities and NFL players were on hand to help with the fundraising including Eli Manning.

Eli Manning earns ‘franchise gold’ label in NFL.com QB rankings

Sam Spiegelman, Contributor

In NFL.com’s Around the League’s latest NFL quarterback rankings, Eli Manning landed in the 7 spot, under the category of “Franchise Gold.”

Manning is one of four quarterbacks to be placed in this second tier of rankings along with Drew Brees (4), Ben Roethlisberger (5) and Matt Ryan (6).

Brees, Big Ben and Manning all own Super Bowl titles, and Ryan appears poised to follow suit sometime in the near future, as his Falcons were a mere 30 seconds from having an opportunity in 2012.

Author Marc Sessler writes this on Manning and the Giants:

“Eli comes off a down year, but I’m done doubting him … It’s no coincidence that the coaches teamed with these passers – Sean Payton, Mike Tomlin, Mike Smith and Tom Coughlin – are in zero danger of losing their jobs.”

The Franchise Gold quarterbacks are second only to what Sessler labels the The Three Kings, a group comprised of Aaron Rodgers (1), Peyton Manning (2) and Tom Brady (3).

Logically, it’s hard to argue Manning fits somewhere in the top three, though his post-season success elevates to near-elite status. Elite — I know; it should be taboo at this point.

Manning is ranked properly, in our opinion. He and Roethlisberger each have two Lombardi Trophies since being drafted in 2004. Brees is a statistical phenom. And Ryan is making the case for being a top signal-caller in this league. Manning probably should be ahead of Ryan — at this point — and either 5 or 5A with Big Ben.

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Eli Manning hopeful Victor Cruz signs before OTAs

It’s mid-May, and no resolution on the Victor Cruz saga is in sight. Yet Eli Manning remains optimistic.

The Giants quarterback told the New York Daily News he hopes next week’s organized team activities will motivate Cruz to agree to the terms of a new deal.

Said Manning: “”We get into some real practices next week …  so hopefully as we get kind of into those live, going-against-a-defense practices, he will get back in so we can get back to work.”

OTAs begin on May 22, which gives the team and Cruz just more than a week to strike an agreement.

Manning did add a caveat to his statement, suggesting it would not be the end of the world if Cruz was not in attendance for OTAs. It would be a great opportunity for the younger player’s to gain some experience, according to the Giants signal-caller.

“I know each year you’re gonna need new guys to step up,” Manning said. “You’re gonna lose some guys, something happens, you always want to be prepared.”

Manning is the latest member of the organization to express optimistic about a Cruz contract. John Mara did likewise last week and coach Tom Coughlin said concern had yet to set in.

Last week, Pro Football Talk reported this week would be integral to the progress of the two sides reaching a deal. Thus far, all has been quiet on that front.

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Ryan Nassib reflects on being with the Giants

Ryan Nassib has been a member of the New York Giants for less than a month, but the spotlight will inevitably shine on the former Syracuse quarterback since he’ll be backing up Eli Manning and is likely the next signal-caller of Big Blue.

The fourth-rounder recently reflected on being the newest quarterback on the Giants.

Your initial thoughts on being drafted by New York:

“Eli Manning and coach [Tom] Coughlin. He’s a Syracuse guy, and Eli’s the face of the organization, starting quarterback, two-time winning Super Bowl champ.”

Your thoughts on Coughlin:

“I think of him on the sideline just from game day just from seeing him on TV and stuff – that very stern look. He really means business, and he’s a great coach from what I hear. I love him so far and look forward to working with him.”

Your greatest influences throughout your football career:

“My biggest influence was probably my father just because he played in college and he knew and he saw that I really was passionate about the game. And he did everything he could to make sure that I got the best I could be and always pushed me in a good way.”

Who you would like to model your career after:

“Quarterback, I guess I would have to say…Joe Montana. In college, we studied a lot of his tape because my coach had worked with him, and he was ‘Cool Joe.’”

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