Good morning, New York Giants' fans! Before you head off for your Memorial Day weekend fun, here are some Giants and NFL notes for your reading pleasure.
Giants Vets Plot a Sweaty Get-Together - WSJ.com
If this lockout keeps slogging on, [Justin] Tuck said, the Giants are going to have to stop treading water. Gathering the whole team for some sort of workouts is definitely on the horizon.
Tuck said he, fellow captain Eli Manning and the veterans have discussed organizing their own training activities. In these next few weeks, he said, they'll try to settle on a two-week span when they might hold a player-run pseudo-camp. "We have a veteran team. We didn't have too much turnover and it won't take us long to get in our stride,'' said Tuck, who said the camp would likely take place toward the end of June. "But getting the camaraderie down pat is always good."
I know many of you have been worrying about this. So, you can stop now.
Breakout players: Jason Pierre-Paul on the list - NFL - CBSSports.com Football
Coming out of college, this kid had freakish athletic ability. But most scouts thought he was a year or two (or three) away from being a productive pass rusher because he was so raw. He started slow last season as a rookie, but came on strong to show he is more advanced than some scouts expected. Pierre-Paul is an explosive player who needs to refine a few things. When he does, he will be the next great pass rusher for the Giants, who seem to have a knack for finding them.
When I think of how good this guy could eventually be, and how upset so many people were when the Giants drafted him it makes me shake my head. GM Jerry Reese and his scouting department have their jobs for a reason.
Around the NFC East
Cowboys owner seeks dismissal of Super Bowl suit | Super Bowl XLV
The NFL and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones asked a judge to dismiss a federal lawsuit over Super Bowl XLV tickets, saying reimbursement offers to displaced ticketholders were legally adequate.
"These offers were made to be accommodating to the NFL's valued fans, but in fact, they exceed the amount to which any of the ticket-holders is entitled," the NFL and Jones said in a court filing Thursday.
Great idea, Jerry. Go after fans who are already ticked off by how you messed up the Super Bowl, and the NFL Lockout.
Giants WR corps is division's best - NFC East Blog - ESPN
Dan Snyder doesn't want to be involved in football operations
NFC East Pre And Post Lockout Delusions - Bleeding Green Nation
Lockout News
Roger Goodell: 'Lockouts are a tool to force negotiation' | National Football Post
"My personal view is this is what labor negotiations are," Goodell said. "They get resolved. The players struck twice in the ’80s. Lockouts are a tool to force negotiation, to force pressure on all parties so that there is a negotiation.
"This is not good for anybody. It’s not good for clubs, it’s not good for the players, it’s certainly not good for the fans. But it’s time to address this. These are serious issues that need to be addressed."
Kurt Warner: Players have to give in for NFL to reach a deal
"I'm still optimistic that they're going to find a way to make sure there's football," Warner told Jim Corbett of USA Today. "The players have too much to lose. And as much as I hate to say it, at some point, the players have to give in. And, hopefully, they can gain some other things on their side. "But ultimately, they have too much to lose."
Warner is probably right. Players' careers are too short, meaning their window to make big money is too small, for them to throw part of it away. They know it, and the owners know it.
Redskins’ coaches say they don’t back players in lockout - The Insider - The Washington Post
Washington Redskins coaches were not part of the group of coaches that filed a brief Wednesday with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals requesting that NFL owners lift the lockout, according to a letter the coaches sent to the league Thursday.
The letter, signed by every coach except Head Coach Mike Shanahan, who is part of the team’s management, says that "we stand united with our ownership and the brief does not reflect our thoughts on the matter."
Around the NFL
Bucs CB Talib indicted in alleged gun incident - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib has been indicted on a charge accusing him of firing a gun at his sister's boyfriend. Attorneys for Talib said the fourth-year player was indicted on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by a Dallas County grand jury on Friday. Police in the Dallas suburb of Garland have said they believe Talib and his mother shot at the man in March.
In a reduced role, is Portis an option in 2011? | National Football Post