Giants Blog

Giants Blog

Mara tells team, with Giants it's 'personal'

May 17, 2012 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

This is personal, not business.That was the impassioned message owner John Mara delivered to the Giants on Wednesday night as the team gathered to receive their Super Bowl XLVI championship rings at... Read on

This is personal, not business.
	 
That was the impassioned message owner John Mara delivered to the Giants on Wednesday night as the team gathered to receive their Super Bowl XLVI championship rings at Tiffany and Co. Mara, beaming as he walked across the Blue Carpet lining Fifth Avenue, addressed the team in a private ceremony prior to the distribution of the rings.
	 
“I just want to say thank you,” Mara said,
	 according to Giants.com. “Thank you to all of our players, our coaches, our staff who are here tonight. Thank you on behalf of the Mara and Tisch families for making us world champions for the second time in five years.”
	 
Mara has spent most of his life in and around the Giants. His grandfather, Tim, founded the franchise 87 years ago and his late father, Wellington, ran the team for most of his adult life and is thought of as the franchise patriarch.
	 
“I just want you to know how much this means to my family,” Mara told the players and coaches. “We have been here with this team since the beginning in 1925, through great seasons and a number of not-so-great seasons. This is not just a business to us, this is personal. Much of my childhood and early adult years were spent suffering with some pretty poor teams. There were years when the team was ridiculed and scorned by the media and by our fans.
	 
“So to get to this point today, where we’re the world champions again, and to have an organization that is universally respected and, to my thinking, is second to none, is very special indeed. So thank you Jerry Reese, Tom Coughlin and all the players, coaches and staff for making this dream of ours a reality.
	 
“Most players never get an opportunity to wear a ring like this and call themselves world champions. It’s something they can only dream about. So cherish the ring, enjoy it, and remember what it took to earn it: hard work, dedication, belief in the team concept, belief in yourself, belief in your teammates. You now know what it takes to be a world champion. Congratulations men.”

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

LT puts his Giants' Super Bowl XXV ring up for auction

May 17, 2012 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

A day after the Giants receiver their championship rings for winning Super Bowl XLVI comes word that Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor is selling his Super Bowl XXV ring.According to SCP... Read on

A day after the Giants receiver their championship rings for winning Super Bowl XLVI comes word that Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor is selling his Super Bowl XXV ring.
	 
According to SCP Auctions, the ring has received 12 bids with the top bid, as of mid-day on Thursday, at $$67,292. The auction ends on Saturday. The estimated value of the ring is $75,000 - $100,000.
	 
The oft-troubled Taylor is clearly in some financial distress to take the drastic step of peddling one of his two Super Bowl rings. Taylor was also on the Super Bowl XXI winning team.
	 
The auction house describes the ring as “arguably the most significant Super Bowl player ring ever offered publicly’’ and goes on to state “it features two football shaped diamonds on the face surrounded by worn blue enameling framed by seventeen smaller diamonds.’’
	 
The name “TAYLOR” is engraved on the left shank above a Giants helmet and his number “56”. Engraved on the interior band in the full name “LAWRENCE TAYLOR”. According to the press release, “the ring shows considerable wear, that in some eyes, only enhances it aura.’’ Anyone who purchases the ring receives a notarized letter of authenticity from Taylor.

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Former Giants get Super Bowl rings

May 16, 2012 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

No chance Dave Tollefson was going to miss spending a night with what now are his former Giants teammates, who last night received their Super Bowl XLVI championship rings at a private ceremony at Tiffany and Co. on Fifth Avenue.
	 
“A lot of these guys are great friends of mine,’’ said Tollefson, the reliable reserve defensive end who signed with the Raiders. “It’s really kind of like an old frat party, going back to college and hanging out with your boys. It doesn’t feel weird at all. I think my wife, she’s like, ‘It’s going to be weird for you.’ I’m just excited to see everybody.’’
	 
That was evident from the great big bear-hug Tollefson put on Justin Tuck as they walked the Blue Carpet upon arrival at the event. This is always a potentially uncomfortable situation, players who were cast aside by the Giants retuning to claim their diamond and sapphire studded prize.
	 
“You always want to be able to go ahead and enjoy it with all the guys and be able to celebrate and, you know, get that coveted ring,’’ said Kareem McKenzie, who started every game at right tackle last season but was not pursued in free agency by the Giants and remains unsigned. “It’s always something that, you’re really anxious at first but when you get down to it, I’m just excited.’’
	 
McKenzie said he believes he has plenty of football left in him.
	 
“I’m not retired yet,’’ he said. “I still want to play, but, you know what, we’ll go ahead and see what happens and if no one calls me, oh well, I guess I am [retired]. No big deal to me. It’s a great way to go out. I mean, you can’t beat it. Go out as Super Bowl champion, win it two times in 11 years, you can’t beat it. Not at all.’’
	 
Brandon Jacobs, now a member of the 49ers, was not on the scene but there are no hard feelings, as his wife, Kim, was. Also on hand were Devin Thomas, who is now with the Bears, and Jonathan Goff, who signed with the rival Redskins. Former Giants Rocky Bernard, Michael Clayton and Derrick Martin were also there.
	 
“End this chapter in our life with the people I really care about, played with the last five years and you kind of move on, you know?’’ Tollefson said. “This is for me a twice-in-a-lifetime thing. You can’t miss out, because when you do something like this and you have a chance to be with the guys you did it with that’s what it’s all about.’’

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Giants go true blue with their Super Bowl rings

May 16, 2012 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

Those who were part of the magnificent Super Bowl run four years ago and were again part of another improbable run this past season had a goal in mind when designing their new championship rings.
	 
“We wanted it to be little different than the last ring,’’ Eli Manning said.
	 
Manning along with fellow team captains Justin Tuck and Zak DeOssie were the point men, along with Giants ownership, in the design of the rings that will be awarded Wednesday night in a special ceremony at Tiffany and Company’s New York flagship store on Fifth Avenue. There is one glaring difference with this ring from the one the Giants earned after beating the Patriots four years ago in Super Bowl XLII. The 2007 ring was white gold and diamonds without additional color. This 2011 ring has a distinctive blue coloring.
	 
“The blue makes it a little different,” Manning said. “We wanted some blue - the Giants are Big Blue. We definitely wanted to get a little blue to spark it up a little bit.”
	 
Added Tuck, “I think all of us wanted to have some blue in the ring, from the ownership down,” Tuck said. “We wanted to make the ring different from the ring we had earlier. The ’08 ring had no color in it – it was just white diamonds. We wanted those to sparkle a little bit more and stand out a little bit more. We talked to guys on the team and the consensus was a lot of guys wanted to see more color in the ring.”
	 
The blue evident from the 37 sapphires channel set on the outer bezel. The text around the bezel reads “2011 WORLD CHAMPIONS NEW YORK GIANTS.”
	 
Another difference is the engraved words “Finish’’ and “All In’’ on the inside of the ring, reminders of the inspirational phrases the Giants used to manufacture their Super Bowl run.

NEW YORK GIANTSThe ring on the left is the one the Giants players and staff will receive tonight. The ring on the right is the one they received four years ago.

“We definitely wanted ‘Finish,’ we definitely wanted ‘All In,’” Tuck said. “Those were two things we prided ourselves on, not only during the season, but especially through the playoff run. And we won games that way. So we definitely wanted those in there.”
	 
The top of the ring is covered in round brilliant diamonds that are pave set. There are four Vince Lombardi trophies, commemorating the four Giants’ Super Bowl wins, and each set with a marquis diamond representing the football. The trophies surround the Giants’ “NY’’ logo, which is set with round brilliant diamonds on an outline of blue enamel.
	 
One shank of the ring has the Giants logo, the Lombardi Trophy, the NFL shield, the words “Super Bowl XLVI” and the final score – “NYG 21 NE 17.” The opposite shank has the recipient’s name, the Giants circular logo with the player’s number in the center and EST. 1925 (the year the franchise was founded). The lower palm side of shanks list the four seasons the Giants won the Super Bowl: 1986, 1990, 2007 and 2011.
	 
“First and foremost,” DeOssie said, “we kept our teammates’ best interests in mind, so we wanted something that would appeal to everybody in the locker room. We gave some thoughts on the design and then Tiffany came in with five or six models. They were beautiful. We wanted something a little more modest, but at the same time you can’t help but notice it is a championship ring. The owners deferred to us as the players and we got everything we wanted. We went back and forth three or four times in an email chain. I think everyone was on board with the one we picked and couldn’t be happier about it.”
	 
Coach Tom Coughlin’s one requirement for the ring is that it had “World Champions’’ engraved on it, and it does. It’s also suitably big enough to be seen from far away.
	 
“Stray [former Giant Michael Strahan] talked about the 10-table ring,” Tuck said. “He wanted a ring you could see from 10 tables away. I talked about the restaurant ring. I wanted one that was big enough to see throughout whatever restaurant you go in and see it from each corner.’’

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Giants punter provides glimpse of Super Bowl ring

May 15, 2012 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

The Giants staged a remarkable playoff run and surged all the way to victory in Super Bowl XLVI. Now they will slip on their fingers a magnificent championship ring to signify their achievement.
	 
The Giants get their hardware at a ceremony Wednesday night at Tiffany & Co.’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue, but a sneak preview of the ring was posted on Tuesday
	 by punter Steve Weatherford on his Twitter account.
	 
If this is not the exact ring the Giants will receive you can be sure it is very, very close. The prize is a 14k white gold 30 MM ring with surrounding diamonds, sapphire band (naturally, to represent Giants blue) and diamond footballs.
	 
The wording “New York Giants 2011 World Champions’’ surrounds the entire ring. The total carat weight is 1.36 in diamonds and 1.11 in sapphires.
	 
The top of the ring features the four Lombardi Trophies the Giants have won in their franchise history and also the famous “ny" team logo. On one side of the ring is the player's name and uniform number, and on the other side is the word “Giants’’ along with the 21-17 score of Super Bowl XLVI, when the Giants defeated the Patriots for the championship for the second time in four years.
	 
The ring was designed with input from Giants owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, general manager Jerry Reese, coach Tom Coughlin and team captains Eli Manning, Justin Tuck and Zak DeOssie as well as representatives from Tiffany.
	 
This year’s ring is actually smaller in terms of carats in diamond than the 2007 version, which former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan described as a “10-table stunner’’ because it could be seen from 10 tables away. That ring featured 1.5 carats in diamonds compared with this year’s 1.36 carat weight in diamonds. Four years ago, the Giants’ ring was valued at $25,000 although the team said the rings cost about $5,500 apiece.

Steve Weatherford/Twitter

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Giants waive Jones two years after accident

May 14, 2012 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

The Giants have continually acknowledged that they will never turn their backs on Chad Jones, their 2010 third-round draft pick out of LSU who was nearly killed in a horrific 2010 car accident. Jones nearly lost his left leg in the one-car accident and is attempting to resume his football career.
	 
Although he has made remarkable progress, Jones is not close to being able to play at an NFL level and on Monday Jones was waived/injured by the Giants after he failed his physical.
	 
Jones was injured two months after he was drafted. He reported last month to the team’s offseason conditioning program to continue his rehabilitation program but was not cleared to participate in football activities.
	 
“We consider Chad to be part of the Giants family, and we'll continue to work with him in his rehab,” general manager Jerry Reese said. “As we've said since his accident, we're thankful he is alive and able to lead a normal life.”
	 
The Giants announced the signings of three undrafted free agents: Safety Will Hill (Florida), wide receiver Brandon Collins (Southeast Louisiana) and linebacker Jake Muasau (Georgia State). All three players attended last weekend’s rookie mini-camp on a tryout basis.
	 
Jones spent two seasons on the reserve/non-football injury list with the Giants. He suffered multiple fractures and nerve damage to his lower left leg in the June 25, 2010 accident and nearly lost his life because of a loss of blood. He also was in danger of having his left leg amputated.
	 
“Chad had a severe injury to his left leg, involving a complex tibial fracture with associated injury to muscle, nerves, and vascular structures,” said Dr. Scott Rodeo, a Giants associate team physician. “This type of injury is often limb threatening, and can sometimes require amputation. He has made a remarkable recovery to date, with successful salvage of the leg. However, at this time he has residual sensory loss, muscle weakness, and tenuous soft tissue coverage in the involved lower leg. The resultant functional impairment precludes his ability to perform physically at the level required for professional football.”
	 
Rocky Arceneaux, Jones’ agent, said “We would like to thank the Giants organization for the manner in which they have supported Chad since his unfortunate accident two years ago. Their genuine support and caring has far exceeded their obligations and he and his family will be eternally grateful. Chad is experiencing a minor setback and we expect a full recovery within a few months. He thanks everyone for their continued support and prayers. He will see his teammates on the field soon."
	 
Of the three undrafted free agents signed, Hill has local ties, as he’s a native of East Orange, N.J. but has had off-field problems that led to his suspension from Florida.

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Blackburn excited about being Giants starting linebacker

May 14, 2012 , ι By TIM BONTEMPS

Chase Blackburn was unsigned as late as Thanksgiving last season before going on to play a key role in the Giants’ run to their four Super Bowl title. And on Saturday, defensive coordinator Perry... Read on

Chase Blackburn was unsigned as late as Thanksgiving last season before going on to play a key role in the Giants’ run to their four Super Bowl title.
	 
And on Saturday, defensive coordinator Perry Fewell named Blackburn the starting middle linebacker heading into training camp.
	 
“I don’t think [being named a starter has] ever happened before,” Blackburn said Monday at the Chris Canty Foundation’s Champions Golf Classic at Manhattan Woods Golf Club in West Nyack. “There’s a lot to it. It’s my position to lose … I just have to keep working hard every day so I can keep that spot.
	 
“It’s obviously a big difference [that] a year makes. But it’s one of those things … you have to take it in stride … like I said, you can’t be complacent with it, you can’t be happy about it. I’ve got to continue to work to get better.”
	 
Despite his newfound starter status, Blackburn says his approach heading into training camp won’t be any different than if he was still trying to make the team as a special teamer.
	 
“There’s a lot of things I can work on in my game,” he said. “Yeah, I’m a veteran, this is my eighth season, but if you can’t improve then you’re done in this game. There’s a lot of room for improvement.”
	 
The Giants will receive their championship rings Wednesday, which for Blackburn will be his second. It’s just the latest event in a series of them that makes this offseason shorter than the typical one – not that anyone is complaining.
	 
“It’s definitely quick, just like the last [time we won],” he said. “When you go into February, it goes by fast. This year we came back a little bit later because of the new CBA, and coach let us have an extra week off and everything. It’s definitely a little different, but still quick.”
	 
***
	 
As for the man whose name was on Monday’s event, Chris Canty wasn’t going to be golfing thanks to knee surgery earlier this offseason. But the veteran defensive lineman was confident that he’d be ready for the start of training camp.
	 
“Yeah, the rehab is going really well,” he said. “I’m looking forward to being ready to go for training camp. Obviously there’s a lot of work ahead for me, to get ready to get to that point, but the doctors feel good about the progress and they’re confident I’ll be ready.”
	 
He wasn’t, however, too concerned about missing next month’s minicamp.
	 
“I don’t really see that [happening],” Canty said, before adding with a smile, ”and I don’t see myself losing any sleep over that, as well.”
	 
Canty also was looking forward to getting his championship ring on Wednesday. But, unlike Blackburn and other teammates, it will be Canty’s first.
	 
“Getting a chance to put the ring on for the first time kind of makes it official in a lot of ways,” he said. “It’s what you play for, so I’m really excited about it.”
	 
tbontemps@nypost.com

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Giants' Blackburn the middle linebacker, for now

May 12, 2012 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

Chase Blackburn last season was picked up for the stretch run because of injuries at the position, he added instant stability to the entire defense, was a huge part of the Super Bowl triumph, became a free agent and, after receiving no offers to go elsewhere, accepted a one-year deal to return to the Giants.
	 
At the moment, he’s the starting middle linebacker at a spot that could be undergoing some not-so-subtle alterations this coming season.
	 
“Chase goes back to that role,’’ defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said on Saturday between practices at rookie mini-camp. “{Mark] Herzlich will have an opportunity to compete for that role. Greg Jones will have an opportunity to compete for that role and we’re not opposed to putting Keith Rivers, giving him the opportunity to compete for that role also. There’s gonna be competition.’’
	 
Fewell said what has been suspected for some time, that the Giants are not viewing the middle linebacker position in a traditional sense, mainly because having a big, hefty, anchor-type linebacker patrolling the interior of the defense is no longer a prerequisite for stopping the sort of offenses now prevalent in the NFL. There is more of a premium on linebackers who can run and cover and hit.
	 
“I don’t think college football allows you to have a big anchor middle linebacker anymore because of the way college football plays,’’ Fewell said. “I don’t think the NFL requires that as much anymore because a lot of these teams are one-back, spread teams and they throw the ball all over the place. We talk in terms of being a two-down [middle linebacker] then having a third-down middle linebacker. What is a two-down [middle linebacker]? We may have to redefine that a little bit as we continue to evaluate what offenses are doing in the National Football League.’’
	 
The Giants do not really have the old-fashioned prototypical middle linebacker on their roster. Michael Boley is more suited to the outside because of his speed but he’s been used in the middle in the past.
	 
“I think Michael Boley has the ability to do that,’’ Fewell said. “Is that his best position? I don’t think that’s his best position in the long run but yes, he definitely has that ability to do that.’’
	 
Rivers, acquired in a trade with the Bengals, has been a weak-side linebacker more at home on the outside but there’s been speculation he could move inside – general manager Jerry Reese has mentioned that as a possibility - with Boley and Mathias Kiwanuka returning on the outside. That does not sound like the plan, although it is a possibility.
	 
“We are in the classroom trying to get a feel for what our new addition, Keith Rivers, what he knows about our defense and how much he can understand and can learn about our defense,’’ Fewell said. “And we’re just giving the young guys more opportunity to hear us talk about the calls. I sense we’re gonna put it up for grabs, whoever can take the bull by the horn and lead us will have the opportunity to step up and play. Obviously you have to do it on the football field too but more so in the classroom being able to be a leader in the classroom and knowing exactly how to set the front and get the coverage squared away.’’

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Giants draft pick Randle impresses in first practice

May 11, 2012 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

There was no way Tom Coughlin was going to offer a detailed rundown of what he saw during the first morning of Giants rookie minicamp, mainly because the veteran coach is never one to jump to any conclusions after such a cursory look.
	 
Coughlin, though, on Friday did admit “I was very impressed with Randle out on the field this morning’’ and there’s little doubt the entire coaching staff, if they weren’t already excited, enjoyed the first look at wide receiver Rueben Randle, the second-round draft pick from LSU.
	 
The highlight of the session was Randle at 6-foot-2 getting a step on third-round pick Jayron Hosley, the 5-10 cornerback from Virginia Tech, during the 7-on-7 drill. Quarterback Ryan Perrilloux hit Randle in stride and he made an over-the-shoulder catch deep downfield.
	 
It was not the only eye-catching moment for Randle, whose production suffered this past season primarily because of LSU’s struggles at quarterback. On the first pass thrown to Randle, cornerback Brandon Bing from Rutgers anticipated the throw and knocked the ball away. Next, Randle bobbled a pass out of bounds. After that, Randle caught everything thrown his way, including a leaping grab over San Diego rookie cornerback Al-Rilwan Adeyemi.
	 
The other pass-catcher the Giants took in the draft, tight end Adrien Robinson, showed quick hands while reaching up to haul in a short throw.
	 
“He made the really tough grab,’’ Coughlin said. “It was a short-range throw but it was on him quickly and he was able to react to it. That was a plus.’’
	 
<iframe id="csprt" name="csprt" frameborder="0" align="top,left" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" width="420" height="265" src="http://cinesport.nypost.com/inline/1634420963001/"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">(function() {var csprtjs = document.createElement('script'); csprtjs.type = 'text/javascript'; csprtjs.async = true;csprtjs.src = 'http://cinesport.nypost.com/static/container.js';var first_s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; first_s.parentNode.insertBefore(csprtjs, first_s);})();</script>

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

Giants sign all their draft picks

May 11, 2012 , ι By PAUL SCHWARTZ

The normal course of action in the NFL this time of year was for rookie minicamps to come and go despite none of a team’s draft picks signed to contracts. Thanks to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, salaries of incoming salaries – even bonuses - are slotted, making any negotiations a fairly moot process.
	 
That is why players throughout the NFL are signing at record speed. Case in point: Running back David Wilson, the Giants first-round pick from Virginia Tech, arrived on Thursday for his first NFL minicamp and before he stepped onto the field for his first practice on Friday.
	 
Wilson signed a four-year deal (with a team option for a fifth year) for $6.68 million, including a signing bonus of $3.3 million. Wilson, the last pick (32nd overall) in the first round, is expected to receive immediate playing time behind starter Ahmad Bradshaw.
	 
The Giants also signed their second round pick, Rueben Randle. The Giants drafted Randle with the final pick in the second round with hopes that the LSU wideout can replace Mario Manningham, who signed with the 49ers in free agency.
	 
All seven Giants draft picks signed prior to stepping on the field, a far cry from the prolonged negotiations that used to go on throughout the summer before the new collective bargaining agreement slotted in rookie salaries and bonuses.
	 
The Giants signed eight undrafted free agents: WR David Douglas (Arizona), WR Julien Talley UMass), FB Joe Martinek (Rutgers), G Stephen Goodin (Nebraska-Kearney). DE Adewale Ojomo (Miami), DE Matt Broha (Louisiana Tech), S Jojo Nicolas (Miami) and S Janzen Jackson (McNeese State).

PRINT
EMAIL
SHARE
- Yahoo! Buzz
- Digg
- Reddit
- Fark It
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
- Twitter
- Facebook
RSS

↑ Back to Top

Viewing Page: 1 of 50

Next >

Subscribe to this Blog

About the Author

PAUL SCHWARTZ Paul Schwartz has been The Post's Giants beat writer since 1994. He's also covered the Nets, Knicks and college basketball. He is the author of two books, "Tales From the New York Giants Sideline," and his recently published "You're Wrong And You're Ugly" with Sid Rosenberg. Paul is a SUNY-Albany graduate.