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Giants' game-changing off-season moves: Antrel Rolle

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This is the second post in our off-season look at "game-changing" moves made by the Giants this off-season.

In the first one, we looked at the hiring of Perry Fewell as defensive coordinator. The second, I think, has to be the biggest free-agent acquisition the Giants made this off-season.

That, of course, would be the signing of safety Antrel Rolle.

The Giants gambled at the safety position in 2009, and lost. Big-time. They began the year with just three safeties on the roster, and lost their best one, Kenny Phillips, after just two games with a potentially career-changing arthritic knee condition.

The Giants paid dearly for that, watching their over-matched remaining safeties get burned again and again for long, 'game-changing,' completions.

With Phillips' health and long-term future still a huge question, bringing in help at safety for 2010 was a must. The Giants also signed safety Deon Grant and drafted Chad Jones, but Rolle is the biggest acquisition.

Some think the five-year, $37 million contract ($15 million guaranteed) was excessive for a player who is not considered among the elite safeties in the league.

Rolle, however, is a good player. He was the best player available at a position of tremendous need for the Giants, and is easily the biggest "game-changing" personnel move they have made this off-season.