Hey BBV Fam,

So I was bored and made this... sadly the original image doesnt appear to have enough resolution to be a legit wallpaper, but at the same time i felt that you guys might appreciate it... particularly my lil slogan-majiga. Just 18 weeks to go :) c r u z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z ( yes im aware that the correct spelling is cruuuuuuuuz)

I don't understand all the vitriole aimed at Osi?? Why??? Because he wants more money?? Most of the time I don't sympathize with athletes who hold up teams for more money ( think A-Rod and the Yankees ). I put them in the same hell hole as I do owners who hold up communities for a taxpayer paid stadium. A pox on both of their houses. That being said however, I make an exception for football players. And there are two reasons I do. First,, most players just get the living s@#$t beat out of them and if they aren't brain damaged by the time they're 50 they are crippled by the time they're 40. So,,,more power ( and money ) to them I say. And secondly,, how is it that football contracts are one way streets???? Last year when JR and Osi were verbally tangling over , what else, more money, the Giants were releasing two players ( O'Hara and Seubert ) who, like Osi, had contracts. Why can management force a player to fulfill the terms of a contract but they can cut a player when they deem it appropriate??? Am I missing something here??? Where is the players union on this????

People here by now probably know that I'm a "draftnik" and I run the site www.nflmocks.com, but I'm not above pointing out places that quite frankly are just better than me at what I do. One of those places is Matt Waldman of footballguys.com and rookie scouting portfolio--although Waldman exclusively scouts QB, RB, WR and TE. Throughout the year he has written a few things up about David Wilson. Here are five articles that break down the finer points of David Wilson's game.

The first is from the New York Times

Throughout the articles he compares Wilson to Darren McFadden, C.J. Spiller, LeSean McCoy, and Jamaal Charles at different points (some positive, some negative).

Physically, Wilson might have as much upside as any back in this draft, and from this perspective, he might be the best back to come out of Virginia Tech. Ryan Williams was a conceptually smarter runner with great effort and a strong array of skills, but purely from an athletic perspective Wilson is to Williams what Trent Richardson is to Mark Ingram.

Wilson’s quickness, speed, balance and stop-start agility are among the best in the country, and it makes him a special athlete/runner in the open field. Get him in space and he’s a nightmare to bring down. When he’s disciplined about what he’s doing, he has the pad level, acceleration and technique to be productive as a between-the-tackles, chain-moving runner.

Clearly, his upside is greater than the grades I have given him, and he is a potential feature back if he shores up his weaknesses. I do not know if there is a better pure athlete as a runner in this draft other than Trent Richardson – and Wilson probably has better speed and lateral agility. What he has to learn makes him more of a boom-bust pick, but I believe based on the past history of the backs I mentioned, Wilson will make the transition to a smarter runner that the N.F.L. requires.

David Wilson Part I-Raw Skills In Action

David Wilson Part II-The Lowlights

David Wilson Part III-Flashes of Refined Play

David Wilson Part IV

If you want to know more about David Wilson be sure to check out those five articles.

Everybody knows by now that the famous Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN gave the Giants a C+ on their Draft this year. So out of curiosity I've decided to see through his old grades (more precisely through 2004~2009) of the Giants to see if I find anything funny.

Boy, it's hysterical.

2004
New York Giants: C+
It all hinges on Eli Manning and how he pans out. The Giants obviously felt he was significantly better than the other top quarterbacks or they would not have given up so much to get him. There will be tremendous pressure on him to make it all worth it, but Ernie Accorsi has a history of being a good judge of young quarterbacks, so it could all work out. Chris Snee was a solid pickup at guard but they did pass on Nat Dorsey, failing to upgrade the left tackle spot. Gibril Wilson was arguably the defensive MVP for Tennessee last season.

2005
New York Giants: C
Cornerback Corey Webster was slowed by nagging injuries last season but is a tremendous cover man when healthy and had a top-10 grade after his junior season. Justin Tuck is an okay end in the third round but should have gone back to Notre Dame, Brandon Jacobs should carve a niche as a power back and end Eric Moore is also an okay pick. The Giants just did not have enough selections to make a big impact on their football team.

2006
New York Giants: GRADE: C+
DE Mathias Kiwanuka was a reach late in the first round, but he will get a chance to learn from Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora. Getting WR Sinorice Moss in the second round was one of the best picks in the draft; he could be the deep threat the Giants' offense needs. Guy Whimper is a versatile offensive lineman and could have gone higher than the fourth round.

2007
New York Giants: GRADE: C-
I would have gone differently with the Giants’ draft. Cornerback Aaron Ross has very good ball skills but not great catchup speed. I was surprised they didn’t take left tackle Joe Staley because they need someone who can protect Eli Manning’s blind side. The Giants took offensive tackle Adam Koets in the sixth round and even passed on left tackle Jermon Bushrod. If they had taken Staley, they could have drafted Eric Wright from UNLV instead of WR Steve Smith. I would rather have had Staley and Wright, but Smith is a good receiver and will be someone who holds onto the ball. Zak DeOssie was a really good long snapper in college and, at worst, will be a backup linebacker in the NFL. Kevin Boss (fifth round) is a natural pass-catching tight end with speed and has a chance to make an impact in the passing game. Safety Michael Johnson was a good pick in the seventh round but needs to be more physical.

2008
New York Giants: GRADE: C+
I understand taking safety Kenny Phillips with the last pick in the first round. He had a great sophomore season in 2006. Terrell Thomas could be a No. 2 cornerback, but I thought that pick was just OK. Wide receiver Mario Manningham is worth a role of the dice in the third round because he has talent, but his stock dropped in the months leading up to the draft, with some teams viewing him as a late-round pick. Jonathan Goff was a good find in the fifth round, and the same can be said about Andre’ Woodson in Round 6. Defensive end Robert Henderson is just a marginal prospect.

2009
New York Giants: GRADE: B
The selection of first-round wide receiver Hakeem Nicks could be a good one, but he really needs to keep his weight up to make an impact in the NFL. I like the selection of offensive tackle William Beatty in the second round and wide receiver Ramses Barden in the third round. They made some good selections late in the draft with running back Andre Brown in the fourth and the two defensive backs in the sixth and seventh rounds: DeAndre Wright and Stoney Woodson.

Well its post-draft time, which means 53-man roster prediction time. My guess, in order of placement on the depth chart is below. Had some trouble picking a 4th OT and second FS. Chad Jones is more wishful thinking than anything else.

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My 2nd annual draft review. This year, it is the 2012 NFL Draft.

In what seems like another lifetime ago, I posted my review for the 2011 NFL draft, which you can find right here.

I'm not quite as bullish on this year's class as I was from last year's, but I still think we managed to pull in a top 5 draft. The past three or four years have taught me the key operative phrase: "In Reese We Trust."

*Originally posted on BloggingTheBeast. Please check the site out!

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The 2012 NFL draft is over and done with, and now that we don't have the draft to anticipate, it's going to be a long time until real football stuff starts to happen again. While this sucks, it gives us amateurs all sorts of time to analyze the guys we've drafted until real football comes along.

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Markus Kuhn vs Louisville Belk Bowl (via JMPasq)

New NY Giant 7th Round Pick Markus Kuhn. I didnt know to much about Kuhn and still dont beyond this game but I did remember him from cutting an Audie Cole tape of this game. He has pretty good quickness and has the long frame the Giants covet in there defensive lineman. Gets off the snap pretty well and does a good job in 1 on 1's getting penetration.Seemed to struggle a bit against Double Teams but did a decent enough job of anchoring overall against the run. Production is pretty good considering the rotation they have going at NC State. He has peeked my interest and im going to look at some more games

Offense: 24

QB: Manning, Carr

RB:Bradshaw, Wilson, Scott

FB: Hynoski

WR: Nicks. Cruz, Randle, Jernigan, Barden, Hixon

TE: Bennett, Pascoe, Robinson

T: Beatty, Diehl, Locklear, Brewer

G: Snee, Petrus, Boothe, Mosley

C: Baas

Defense: 26

DE: Pierre-Paul, Tuck, Osi, Trattou

DT: Canty, Joseph, Austin, Rogers, Kuhn

LB: Boley, Rivers, Kiwi, J-Will, Herzlich, Blackburn, Greg Jones

CB: Webster, Thomas, Amukamara, Hosley, Tryon, Bruce Johnson

S: Phillips, Rolle, Sash, Horton

Special Teams: 3

Weatherford, Tynes, DeOssie

PUP: 2

Ballard, Beckum

Practice Squad: 8

Perriloux, Janzen Jackson, Hopkins, Paysinger, McCants, DePalma, Martinek, Tailey

Even though it's hard to know how guys are gonna look at this point, I thought it'd be fun to speculate a bit. What do you think? I really liked Joe Martinek from his highlights and think he could develop into a John Kuhn/Mike Tolbert type but just couldn't find room for him on the roster, although perhaps the G-men could carry another back (already cut Ware here, and he has a good chance of making the team). The last 5 guys on were Horton, Kuhn, Greg Jones, Hixon, and the last O-lineman (take your pick). Would be tough know what to do with all those tight ends if Beckum gets activated off the PUP, as I really like Robinson but the other two guys might be valuable contributors too. Let me know what you think the roster will look like in the comments.

From Fox Sports:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Reese-says-Giants-have-offered-Umenyiora-new-deals-59436359

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