Before the NFL Draft, I wrote a post wondering which of his predecessors, George Young or Ernie Accorsi, new Giants GM Jerry Reese would be more alike.
After the weekend, I think the answer is Young. I also think Reese showed the Giants are in good hands with him at the helm.
Giants' fans have been restless this off-season. They know their team has holes despite two straight playoff appearances, and have wondered if Reese was up to the task of filling them.
That restlessness was not assuaged during free agency. Reese dumped veteran players he didn't want like LaVar Arrington, Carlos Emmons and Luke Petitgout. He did little to replace them in free agency, however, saying that prices were 'out of control' and refusing to join the bidding frenzy and overpay.
That is the way Young did business. GM during the Giants championship years, Young never made splashy free-agent acquisitions. He would fill holes with lesser known, less expensive players then build the core of his team through solid draft choices.
Reese, who learned his craft as a scout, appears to have a similar philosophy.
Of course, you can't really judge a draft class until you have seen the players on the field for a couple of seasons. However, at first blush, Reese appears to have done very well in his first draft.
First-round pick Aaron Ross was the best cornerback on the board at No. 20, and fills a definite need.
Second-round pick Steve Smith, a wide receiver, was overshadowed by Dwayne Jarrett at USC, but many feel he could be a star. At the least, he should give the Giants a quality third receiver.
Fourth-round pick Zak DeOssie, a linebacker from Brown and son of ex-Giants Steve DeOssie, is a guy draft experts think will have a long, solid NFL career.
Fifth-round pick Kevin Boss fills a need for a backup tight end.
In the seventh round, Reese even nabbed two sleeper type players who could contribute -- safety Michael Johnson and running back/kick returner Ahman Bradshaw.
Then, of course, there was the announcement Sunday that the Giants are moving Mathias Kiwanuka from defensive end to outside linebacker. That's a risky move with Michael Strahan nearing the end of his career, but Kiwanuka has the physical tools to play standing up and could end up starring in that role.
Of course, as I said earlier, you can never tell for sure how any of this will play out until the players get on the field.
I think, however, Giants fans can stop wondering about Reese. He is up to the task.