Antonio Pierce Confirms He’s Talked to Briggs About Joining the Giants: Following up on Thursday’s “News and Notes” story, LB Antonio Pierce has confirmed that he has indeed talked to LB Lance Briggs of the Chicago Bears about signing with the Giants in free agency this offseason. Pierce and Briggs were teammates at the University of Arizona. Free agency begins on March 2nd.
“If he comes in, we’re going to sign him,” said Pierce. “He won’t leave the building without signing. The problem is just making sure we get him there because he’s going to demand a lot of money and he’s going to be deserving of it.”
“I talked to the coaches last year when the season was winding down,” said Pierce. “They asked me and I gave my input on (Briggs). I’m not going to start lobbying like I did for LaVar (Arrington). I did my one-year GM internship last year. This year I’m going to work on Antonio.”
“I think Lance had as good a year, maybe even better a year than (Bears’ MLB) Brian Urlacher did,” said Pierce. “He’s got a great mentality. He’s very hungry and determined.”
Shaun O’Hara Would Like to Re-Sign With the New York Giants: OC Shaun O’Hara, the only starter on offense who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, says he would like to re-sign with the Giants. Free agency begins on March 2nd.
“You guys know how crazy free agency gets once that gets going. Everything’s coming at you at warp speed,” O’Hara said. “I’ve seen (General Manager) Jerry Reese and spoke with (Assistant General Manager) Kevin Abrams. They both have stressed an interest in getting it done, which I appreciate and would like to do also.”
O’Hara said his agent and Reese have talked contract numbers and that more serious discussions could be held next week. O’Hara would like a five-year contract.
Injury Update on DE Michael Strahan: DE Michael Strahan, who missed the bulk of the second half of the 2006 NFL season with a serious foot (Lis Franc) injury, says he is recovering well. “It feels fine,” said Strahan. “Definitely on schedule.”
New York Giants – Miami Dolphins Game in London Officially Confirmed: The NFL officially announced yesterday that the Giants will play the Miami Dolphins in England on October 28th. The game will be played at 6:00PM London time (1:00PM Eastern time) at the 92,000-seat Wembley Stadium. The game will be televised by FOX. It was also revealed that the Giants’ bye weekend will come the week following the game (in other words, the Giants will not play on November 3rd).
“This is an honor for London – we’re absolutely delighted,” said London Mayor Ken Livingstone. “We are expecting nearly 10,000 American fans to travel to London to watch the game as well as people from Europe. There will be many millions of TV viewers in the United States alone, so it will be a great opportunity to showcase London to new visitors and for people to see the unique way we enjoy our sport.”
“On behalf of the Mara and Tisch families, we are very excited about the opportunity to take our product, our team and take the NFL across the pond and play in London,” said Giants’ co-owner and treasurer Jonathan Tisch. “We certainly live in a world dominated by brands, and there are very few brands that are stronger than the NFL. And we know from what we all do in business that brand extension is the name of the day. This is a perfect example of taking one of the most recognizable names and extending it to a new audience. And the new audience is important, because the world is getting much smaller but the global appeal of our game is getting much bigger. For the New York Giants to team up with the Miami Dolphins – two teams that have such a rich history, that represent in many ways the past of the NFL – and now to look at the future of the NFL, we are very, very excited.”
“I think when you listen to what (Mayor Livingstone) has in mind, the buildup to the game will be enormous,” said Tisch. “And because it is now across international boundaries, it will be global. I know the Giants and Dolphins will do everything they can to get their fans – and for us it’s moving people from New York, but it’s also moving people from South Florida, because so many New Yorkers now live here – getting them across the water, and that excitement is going to build. Because the game is right in the middle of the season, it’s at a point where the playoffs are starting to loom on the horizon. Teams are getting excited about what’s going to happen. It’s natural for this game to really expand on a global basis and there will be a lot of excitement.”
“We are looking forward to bringing our team to London, which has long been a center of attention and enthusiasm for the NFL overseas, dating back to the league’s first game there in 1983,” said Giants’ co-owner and president/CEO John Mara. “Playing in London in late October means our fans there will see a midseason contest. It will signal the beginning of the second half of the season, when teams begin their playoff run.”
“It’s going to be great – I’m looking forward to it,” said DE Michael Strahan. “I grew up oversees in Germany and I’m so glad I had the experience of growing up in Europe. London’s going to be a great extension for the NFL. It’s a great chance for the players to understand that football is much bigger than just America. The opportunity for us to be the first two teams to play a regular season game outside of North America is equivalent to being trendsetters and setting a standard. I hope we can go there and represent the game very well, not only in the way we play, but in the way we conduct ourselves off the field.”
“We’ll just set Big Ben back five minutes,” joked Strahan in reference to Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s policy of mandating that players show up five minutes early before meetings. “That’ll keep everybody on schedule…Most players probably don’t even have a passport, but we’re all excited. We have to realize the world is a big place and people out of our country care about what we do…I look at what’s happened with the Thanksgiving Day game. At first people maybe thought that was a little strange. But how many of us would be able to survive a day with the family without that game, having to talk to them all day? That game has actually saved us. Hopefully this will be that type of ground-breaking situation where this game becomes a tradition and people look forward to this game.”
“I’m excited about it,” said QB Eli Manning. “It’s a tribute and an honor for both of these teams to go over there. I’m excited about the opportunity to play in the first NFL (regular season) game in Europe. I think it’s important for the NFL and we’re really excited about it…It’s exciting for the NFL expanding this game internationally and globally. I’m looking forward to going to London and playing a game there. From listening to people, American football has become popular over there. I think it will draw a crowd, plus the people traveling from New York and Miami going to the game. Hopefully, it will be upbeat and the people at the game will pick a side or cheer for both teams.”
Playing in Europe will undoubtedly present special challenges to players conditioned to routine. “I hope it’s not a situation where we get there too late in the week and we don’t have a chance to adjust,” said Strahan. “Some players are going to be able to adjust easily and some will not. I think you have to take everybody into account. But that’s for the coach to figure out. I’m sure he’s going to come up with the schedule that’s beneficial to the team, because I know one thing and that’s that he wants to win. This is the first game outside of the country and we want to be remembered as winners in that first one. And I’m sure he’s going to do everything he can to make sure we’re in the best position to win the game. This is an opportunity for us to go over there and really showcase the NFL. I’m sure along with that there will be some responsibility for showcasing the game.”