New York Giants Sign Linebacker: LB Keith O’Neil is now appearing on the roster page at Giants.com.
General Manager Jerry Reese Interview on Sirius Radio: The audio of General Manager Jerry Reese’s interview on Sirius Radio from yesterday is available at Giants.com. Ralph Vacchiano of The Daily News posted the following highlights from this interview on his Giants’ blog:
- Reese on DE Michael Strahan: “We’d like for him to come back for another season, but it’s really going to be a tough decision for him. He’s got the ring. He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’s got to think, ‘Can I really get myself up to do this again?’…We’d like to know sooner than later so we know what we have to do personnel-wise.”
- Reese said moving LB Mathias Kiwanuka back to defensive end is a possibility, but not a necessity, if Strahan retires. “We’re committed to getting him on the field because we want our best players on the field. His progression (at linebacker) was going nicely. The coaches really like him at that position. They think he can do some damage. He gives us a lot of flexibility.”
- Reese on soon-to-be unrestricted free agent FS Gibril Wilson: “We like Gibril. He’s been a really good football player since his rookie year. We’re talking to his agent to pound out the numbers. Hopefully we’ll be able to keep him, but there’s going to be a lot of people in the market for Gibril Wilson.”
- Reese on soon-to-be unrestricted free agent LB Kawika Mitchell: “If the numbers make sense for Kawika Mitchell, we’d love to have him back. We love to have those kinds of guys on our football team. You win championships with those kinds of guys.”
- Reese on the possibility of DE Osi Umenyiora demanding more money: “We feel Osi is paid very well. Hopefully Osi feels he’s paid very well. There’s always a possibility he could come in and say ‘You know what? I think I should be paid more.’ We’ll handle that situation if it comes. It’s part of the business.”
- Reese on whether the Giants will pursue a veteran backup quarterback: “Knock on wood, Eli’s been a strong and healthy player for us. Anthony Wright is a veteran quarterback who won games and got his teams to the playoffs in Baltimore. The coaches like him and have confidence in him. But if there’s a veteran out there, we’re always trying to improve so we’d be interested in that.”
Free Agency/Draft Rumors: It’s that time of year again as free agency fast approaches at the end of this month. Rumors and speculation are rampant. Here is the latest:
- Mike Garafolo (Star-Ledger Giants Blog) reports that the Giants believe the Eagles are very interested in soon-to-be unrestricted free agent FS Gibril Wilson.
- Garafolo says the Giants would like to re-sign soon-to-be unrestricted LB Kawika Mitchell to a 3-year deal before free agency starts.
- Garafolo reports that the Giants and the agent for soon-to-be unrestricted free agent HB Derrick Ward are expected to exchange contract numbers in the next few days.
- Garafolo says he is hearing rumors (which he admittedly says may be bogus) that the Giants may be interested in soon-to-be unrestricted free agents OT Flozell Adams (Cowboys), LB Lance Briggs (Bears), LB Terrell Suggs (Ravens), CB Asante Samuel (Patriots), CB Marcus Trufant (Seahawks), and S Ken Hamlin (Cowboys). (Incidentally, Suggs was franchised by the Ravens yesterday so he is out of the picture).
- Garafolo speculates that the Giants will be looking for defensive backs or linebackers in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Quotes: General Manager Jerry Reese on the Giants’ Offseason: “It’ll be a little different this year because everybody will be patting us on the back and saying, ‘Good job.’ But we’ll try to stay focused and get us another strong draft class. The bar’s been set high. I have this great fear of winning the Super Bowl and not making the playoffs the next year. We don’t want that. We don’t want to disappear.”