Good morning fellow Giants fans. It's Friday, and the first day of Giants' rookie mini-camp, and our own Ed Valentine will be on the premises covering things for you. And while there isn't much to report yet on that end, there are bits and pieces of commentary and news about former Giants floating around. And, amazingly, we have not heard much from Osi Umenyiora for a couple of days. Let's see what's going on.....
Rueben Randle ready for taste of NFL, Big Apple - Bastrop, LA - Bastrop Daily Enterprise
Rueben Randle leaves this morning (Thursday, May 10) for the Big Apple where he will join the Super Bowl champion New York Giants for a three-day rookie mini-camp. Projected as a late first-round to early second-round pick, the Giants were surprised to find Randle still available with the final pick (63rd overall) second round
Giants an odd sort of defending champion - Giants Blog - ESPN New York
The people who run the Giants, and many of the people who play for the Giants, were in this position four years ago, and they know all about the challenges that face the defending Super Bowl champs. But this year's Giants are not your ordinary defending champ. They were, speaking strictly in terms of winning percentage, the weakest Super Bowl champion in history. They didn't even secure their playoff spot until the final game of the regular season. With two weeks to go, they were 7-7 and in real danger of finishing under .500.
Yadda yadda yadda. Two rings in five years. Yadda yadda yadda.
Giants, Eagles got meaningful sacks - NFC East Blog - ESPN
I liked this story/chart from Pat Kirwan on the rate at which NFL teams sacked the quarterback on third downs in 2011. (Even though his chart claims to include all 32 teams and in fact only includes 24. Hey, it's the offseason.) And I can't say as I'm surprised that the New York Giants ranked second-best in the league in third-down sacks and percentage of third-down sacks (behind only the Ravens). For a 9-7 team to win the Super Bowl, it must be exceptional at certain things, and in critical situations, and the Giants were certainly that.
Mother’s Day Gift Guide for New York Giants Fans - Yahoo! Sports
Mother's Day 2012 is on Sunday May 13, and it's time to start shopping around for gifts for your favorite New York Giants fan. The Giants are fresh off a victory in Super Bowl XLVI and Mom will certainly want some cool gear to kick off the new season.
St. Louis Rams: Masters of the Defensive Line - Turf Show Times
Mike Waufle is the new defensive line coach for the St. Louis Rams. Formerly of the New York Giants and Oakland Raiders, Mike brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table. Having worked with former Rams head coach Steve "Golf Clap" Spagnuolo in New York, Waufle played a key role in the Giants defeat of the then undefeated New England Patriots
New York Giants, Jets have flirted with behavior that comes close to imperiling player safety - New Orleans Saints Football NFL News - NOLA.com
It is that sacrosanct theme, given the growing caseload of lawsuits filed against the NFL by former players alleging indifferent attention to health issues, that drove Commissioner Roger Goodell to mete out severe punishments to New Orleans, including a full season suspension without pay for Coach Sean Payton and linebacker Jonathan Vilma. In the case of the Giants and Jets, however, there was no league discipline.
Former Giants to speak at Swim dinner | Acorn-Online.com
St. Vincent’s Swim Prostate Cancer Institute Celebrity Dinner will take place at the Bridgeport Holiday Inn on Thursday, June 7. The event will begin with a Celebrity Meet & Greet Reception at 6 p.m., followed by a silent auction of sports memorabilia and a dinner program at 7:15 with sports commentary. WFAN and XM Radio Host Ed Randall will be on hand as emcee. A prostate cancer survivor himself, Randall is also the founder of Bat for the Cure, a charitable foundation dedicated to the prevention and education of prostate cancer. Former New York Giants teammates Karl Nelson and Joe Morris will headline the event.
Former New York Giants Player Harry Carson Set for Headstrong Post-Show Discussion - Theater News - May 10, 2012
New York Giants Hall-of-Fame Linebacker Harry Carson, forensic pathologist/neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, and news reporter Stone Phillips will participate in a discussion following the Saturday, May 12 performance of Ensemble Studio Theatre's production of Patrick Link's Headstrong.
Chris Snee day at B-Mets postponed - Sports - Daily Review
(Wednesday night's) scheduled appearance at NYSEG Stadium by New York Giants guard Chris Snee has been postponed due to inclement weather. Snee, wearing his rings from both Super Bowl championships, will appear prior to the game on Tuesday, July 17 where he will sign autographs from 5-6 p.m. Fans that purchased tickets for tonight's game may stop by the NYSEG Stadium box office to receive one voucher per ticket that may be redeemed for the game on July 17.
Misericordia University - Ottis Anderson to Appear at MU Football All-Access Event
Former New York Giants standout Ottis "OJ" Anderson will be the special guest at Misericordia University's "VIP All Access" football kick-off celebration, Friday, June 29 at The Seasons Ballroom at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs.
The Braves changed little but got better. Will Falcons follow suit? | Mark Bradley
They were seen in some local circles as Dumb and Dumber. The Braves went 9-18 in September, wasting an 8 1/2-game and losing the wild card in the 13th inning of the 162nd game. The Falcons went 10-6 but beat almost nobody of consequence and managed no offensive points in a 24-2 playoff loss to the 9-7 New York Giants. The Braves’ response: Stay the course. The Falcons’ response: Stay the course.
I have no problem with the Falcons staying the course. It's already becoming a tough conference as it is.
Five Greatest New York Giants of the 1990s: Fan's Take - Yahoo! Sports
The New York Giants kicked off the 1990s with a thrilling, last-second win over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. Unfortunately, the rest of the decade wasn't as kind to Big Blue. In the early part of the 90s, Lawrence Taylor and Phil Simms were in the twilight of their great careers and the team was years away from drafting franchise players Michael Strahan and Tiki Barber. Thus, it would be almost 10 years before the Giants got back to the Super Bowl. However, the Giants fielded a few strong teams during the 90s with these five players leading the way.
I didn't even research the rosters from the '90's, but I am already thinking there are some glaring omissions. Frankly, Strahan is one and I'm not sure why he was only casually mentioned here. You guys can discuss below though!
Happy Friday fellas!