During and right after the Easter/Passover weekend, it was very quiet on NFL fronts. You had to dig deep to find anything going on with the NFL, much less with our New York Giants. But then, bam! As Ed mentioned Thursday afternoon, Jerry Reese went and made three moves--trading for Bengals' linebacker Keith Rivers; and signing free agents Sean Locklear (OT) and Antwaun Molden (CB). As usual, Reese makes under-the-radar moves like this when we least expect him to. It's like the guy is constantly mining for gold, and you can't argue with his track record in evaluating talent. Let's see what else is going on this morning....
Will Boley, Williams or Rivers move from WLB? - New York Giants - CBSSports.com RapidReports
The Giants already have WLBs Michael Boley and Jacquian Williams, so someone will be asked to switch positions now that the Giants have acquired WLB Keith Rivers (Bengals). "Keith is versatile enough to play the outside on first and second down and he can play on third down because he runs well," coach Tom Coughlin said. "And he's fast enough to rush the passer."
Giants worked out Sanu, Simms
Even more interesting was the quarterback brought in to throw to Sanu: Matt Simms, son of former Giants quarterback Phil Simms. Before anyone gets all crazy about this, the Giants are far more likely to select Sanu with the 32nd overall pick (the last selection in the first round) or more likely in the second round than they are to take Simms with any of their picks in any round.
Giants TE Ballard has more serious injury than thought
Often, players coming off microfracture surgery need two full years to get back to form and at times they never fully regain their athletic prowess. Ballard, according to NorthJersey.com, had holes drilled into the bone in his knee and had stem cells from his hip injected in an attempt to regenerate cartilage, which is never as strong as the original cartilage.
I am sure most of you have read this by now, but it somehow slipped by me until Thursday.
Todd McShay's Giants draft 'scenarios' - NFL Nation Blog - ESPN
His No. 1 scenario for the Giants is that they take Ohio State tackle Mike Adams at No. 32. If he falls this far, Adams would be the perfect combination of value and positional need -- nearly an ideal pick for the Giants, who could start him at right tackle right away and possibly develop him into a left tackle if things don't work out with Will Beatty over there. Scenario No. 2 for the Giants, Todd says, would be to "take advantage of value and make a luxury pick for a player such as Stanford TE Coby Fleener or Nebraska OLB Lavonte David."
Saints announce Joe Vitt will stand in as head coach on interim basis | NJ.com
The New Orleans Saints have named Joe Vitt as interim coach, despite the top assistant's six-game suspension for his role in the club's bounty system. The Saints had to find a one-season replacement for head coach Sean Payton, whose season-long suspension in connection with the bounty scandal begins Monday and runs through the next February's Super Bowl. New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis said in the release today that Vitt will take over on Monday.
Bill Parcells staying retired, explains New Orleans Saints talks - ESPN New York
Bill Parcells said Wednesday that he talked to Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis about the New Orleans Saints' interim opening for 2012, but he's enjoying his life away from the sidelines and "it's time" to stay retired. "I've been out quite a while now. I have another life. I'm very happy with that," Parcells told ESPN's Mike Tirico on "SportsCenter." Parcells, a Hall of Fame finalist who turns 71 in August, has not coached since 2006. He will remain an ESPN analyst.
Newest Raider Dave Tollefson feels indebted to club - San Jose Mercury News
The long and winding road which earned the Ygnacio Valley High product two Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants included a short but crucial stint with the Raiders, where he started the 2007 season off the practice squad. "The Raiders allowed me to continue my career in the NFL by sending me to Europe and putting me on the practice squad," Tollefson told reporters by conference call Tuesday. "There's a debt there that I feel like I never really got to repay after leaving. It's kind of funny how life works. "You get an opportunity to come back to someplace like this and really show them that you appreciate the opportunity that they gave you."
Atlanta Falcons, not New York Jets, offered 2012 'Hard Knocks,' sources say - ESPN New York
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson said last week he'd be interested in another appearance on "Hard Knocks," but the Atlanta Falcons have been offered the starring role in this season's version of the HBO reality series, according to sources. An HBO spokesman declined to comment, saying it's company policy not to discuss potential candidates during the selection process. Typically, HBO, which produces the show in conjunction with NFL Films, doesn't announce the team until May.