MVN - Most Valuable Network

Site/Server Update

Raise your hand if you’re frustrated with the server.  [raises hand]  Good, I am right there with you and so in MVN!  We’ve been on the phones all day with our server company working on this endless mess!  It should be finished shortly so please hang with us.

Also, Giants101.com is finally up and running.  So for anyone who types the URL in, you no longer have to type all that mess.  Just Giants101.com.  Sorry about the delay everyone.

In the mean time read a story about Michael Strahan nearly getting arrested.

Jerry Reese Officially Named G.M.

Giants.com

As we suspected after the blunt “no” from Scott Pioli, the Giants have decided on Jerry Reese as the next GM of this franchise. He will likely be named to this position tomorrow and it seems fitting to do it on Martin Luther King Jr. day because Reese will be the first African American GM in either NY franchise in the NFL.

Reese’s scouting ability has been something this franchise coveted since the day he joined the organization, and he is a firm believer in building through the draft. I feel the one and only way to create an elite powerhouse year after year is not by grabbing the big name free agents every off-season, but by getting production out of those you draft on a consistent basis. Perhaps the largest contribution to the Giants Reese has made so far is his selection of Osi Umenyiora in the 2nd round. Ernie Accorsi has admitted himself that the pick of Osi was mostly attributed to Reese, as much of the scouting department and decision makers perceived that as a reach. He is also responsible for some of our late round gems such as David Tyree, David Diehl, and Barry Cofield. I feel now that we finally have a full draft load, Reese is going to show his ability to bring in what this team needs right away. He has the opportunity to shine this off-season, but he also could go south if he starts overpaying for some attractive names available considering the salary cap going up, thus meaning a ton of cash is going to be thrown around.

On behalf of Giants 101, congrats Jerry Reese and good luck!

Kevin Gilbride Promoted

Kevin Gilbride - Getty Images / NFL.com

I thought for sure that Kevin Gilbride was as good as gone. I figured that once Tim Lewis was fired, Gilbride would soon follow. That’s not the case however as the Giants have promoted Gilbride from Quarterbacks Coach to permanent Offensive Coordinator according to NFL Network.

This opens up another position that the Giants will need to conduct a search for; a Quarterbacks coach who can hopefully work with Eli Manning and get better results on the field. Now, don’t get me wrong here, I am not “down” on Eli. I just think that with the right chemistry and the right personality, someone could help him a bit more with his confidence.

I’ve heard some people suggest his Father. Now that would be an interesting scenario to say the very least. I say why not, Archie thinks he knows all and he obviously knows Eli better than anyone else. I realize people will view that as a “high risk” but it also could be very “high reward.”

Giants to London in 2007

Amazon.com

It has been confirmed that the New York Giants vs. Miami Dolphins regular season matchup will be played across seas in London. No need to worry season ticket holders, I have been told this will be a Dolphins home game most likely because the ‘Phins do not sell their stadium out the way the G-Men do.

This whole thing excites me simply because it will add some more spunk to the 2007 Giants and it will expand the NFL game to a new international level. The Giants have a lot of supporters in England and those supporters will in all likelihood outnumber the Dolphins fans. No date has been set but I am assuming it will either be the Thursday night opener or the game right before our bye week because of the long travel and time change. Do not compare this to the type of jet lag the Yankees had when they went to Japan, because London is only about 5 hours different than New York, which is almost comparible to a trip out to the west coast. This is something to get excited about in my opinion, there will not be any teams that can say they played in another country next year other than the Giants and Dolphins.

MVN Update:

Due to the endless failures of our current server company MVN has been forced to change once again.  This may cause problems for a 24 hour time period but after that all should be golden.  The change will take place at some point this weekend.

Reese Will Keep Inside Track On GM Race

Giants.com

With the rejection by Pioli, the retention of Coughlin almost ensures that all signs to the GM office will point to Jerry Reese.  Almost as habitual as it sounds, the news on this issue remains largely superfluous.

New York Daily News:

“The next general manager of the Giants will not have a choice about who coaches the team in 2007, which makes it even more likely that the top in-house candidate, Jerry Reese, will get the job.”

Most of you may have already read this earlier today as if the class dunce couldn’t foresee this addendum to the ongoing saga that is the New York Giants.  The Giants are becoming as synonymously “scattered” as the Philadelphia Eagles of 2005.  A collective cohesion of malcontents, incompetence, and delusion.  As almost all anonymity is casually tossed to the wind as more “locker room” jargon is steadily released, I guess you could say the GM search is the only sure decision that anyone could bet on.  Not that Reese is the sure thing; the sure thing is the prediction.  I will take that bit of continuity as a blessing as this team will have to get esoteric to find its roots; and the eventual path to its tradition rich ways of winning.

As the Giants continue to maintain that they will be diligently diplomatic in finding a suitable replacement for Acorsi, we all know what to bet on, right?  As Reese is very familiar with the scouting system and was a boisterous voice in Acorsi’s ears as draft picks were chosen, I am vaguely, and maybe, wishfully satisfied.  We all know that this guy won’t have the ability to go over Coughlin’s head at all and that the two with exist happily in what I am starting to call “Never Never Land”.

Adios Tim Lewis

Tim Lewis - Giants.com / Pinkus

We can all breath a little sigh of relief, defensive coordinator Tim Lewis has OFFICIALLY been given the boot. His replacement has not yet been decided, and I have no time table for when that very decision will be made. For those of you that have lost sleep because Tom Coughlin will be running the sidelines again, this pieceof information has to encourage you. Had Lewis been brought back after a disappointing tenure as the defensive play caller, I would have joined you in the Giants Stadium parking lot with my protest sign in hand.

In terms of his eventual replacement, the name Dom Capers is being thrown around the rumor mill. However, he is a 3-4 guy and I don’t think we have that type of personnel just yet; we are missing the most vital piece in a NT, and we are missing the an inside linebacker to play next to Pierce that needs to have some bulk to him. We do have two outstanding edge rushers in Umenyiora and Kiwanuka who have both proved to be effective in coverage, but we would lack any depth behind them. We would also have some solid 3-4 defensive ends in Cofield, Robbins, Joseph, and even Strahan who plays much bigger than his weight and his always a force against the run.

But this is all speculation on a defensive front that may not even exist if we bring in someone else who also runs a 4-3 defense. I am sure we will all hear candidates names pop up within the next week or two, and I would expect a DC to be named by the end of the month. But most importantly, Tim Lewis will not be associated with this organization for one more second.

**I have not heard any status on Kevn Gilbride, and like how I felt about Coughlin, he could stay or go and I’ll be evenly satisfied. He too did not get a fair shot at the job but the question will be whether or not he deserves one considering his previous position as the coach to help Eli Manning. No matter what, I want David Cutcliffe, Eli’s college coach to be somewhat involved with this staff because Eli responds to his coaching more than any other coach he has worked with. As soon as I hear something, you’ll know where to look.

Tom Coughlin return - rebuildingyear.wordpress.com

Coughlin to Return

It is official. I was wrong about our head coaching scenario, Tom Coughlin will be back for the 2007 season. There we reports all over the place that he was on the way out but only those deep within the Giants organization truly know what happened over the course of the last few days. From what I have been told and from what I have thought, Coughlin was not the number one choice. I still think the Giants contacted Weis to see if he was interested in grabbing his dream job and when he replied with a negative answer, Coughlin was retained.

I cannot say I am angered by the decision because like I said earlier in the week, Coughlin did not get a fair deal this season. The injuries he had to deal with and the schedule that was put in his lap was without a doubt the toughest in the NFL. We all praised him last year after taking home the NFC East crown with 11 wins in Eli Manning’s first full season as a starter. I’m not anointing him as a big time coach, not yet anyway, but he is the best we have had since Bill Parcells for those of you that can remember back that far. As badly as we want to bash his technique with meetings and sideline antics, he was not the problem this year. Injuries, schedule, and absent minded play callers on both sides of the ball were the reasons we had a downfall.

I am confident we can bounce back and take this division crown back to where it belongs in 2007. We have a strong nucleus and a full draft for the first time in a few years to build a real defense with more speed and playmakers. Know that New Yorkers’ love for constant change is often a bad thing, and changing the head coach would have likely been a bad idea.

Eagles Brown Says ‘Shockey Wants to be an Eagle’

Shockey - Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

With all of the coaching news, a small controversy came up yesterday afternoon that many people may have missed. Can anyone imagine Jeremy Shockey leaving the New York Giants for the Philadelphia Eagles? Sheldon Brown, an Eagles cornerback, said that he spoke with Shockey during the second quarter of the wildcard game on Sunday and that Shockey supposedly claimed that he wants to play for the Eagles. Once the quote was presented to him Shockey quickly rebuffed by saying that he wants to end his career with the Giants. Shockey is currently under a contract until the 2011 season.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Shockey said through a team spokesman when informed of Brown’s comments. “There are two teams that I love beating: Dallas , because I’m from that part of the country, and Philly, because they have won the NFC East for five of the last six years. We’re 90 minutes away, and we can’t stand each other.

“I am a Giant. I want to end my career with the Giants, and I want to win Super Bowls for the Giants. I don’t want to be an Eagle, I want to beat them twice a year, or three times a year, if need be.”

I cannot imagine Shockey leaving the Giants for the Eagles. Shockey should stick with the Giants for the rest of his career or at least until 2011 when he probably will no longer make a huge impact. Shockey would be 31 years old in 2011 and may only have 2 more good years after that. I would take him back if he does not ask for too much money after the contract is over or give him a 2-3 year contract extension. Shockey has made it clear that he wants to be a Giant and retire as a Giant.

Does Parcells’ Story Hold Water?

Mike Powell/Allsport

I was in the office today listening to Gresh and Zo on 99.7 FM The Score when a startling report hit the wire. Apparently (and I don’t know exactly how much water this report holds), Bill Parcells actually contacted the Giants for an interview opportunity pertaining to the GM position. Here’s the kicker: The Giants turned him down.

The source of the report was not disclosed. However, Gresh and Zo stated twice that the source is from within one of the two organizations and made the report seem credible. The speculation regarding the denial by the Giants is reportedly fueled by the Giants not wanting Parcells to have “free reign” over the organization. The Post stated today that one down side to Parcells coaching is:

If I am going to cook the meal, I want to choose the ingredients.

This is the exact reason why I was so shocked when he joined the Cowboys with the other ego-maniac, Jerry Jones. Parcells would not only want to coach; he also wants to be heavily involved in general manager duties, player development, and player personnel.

Reportedly, this is the reason that the New York Giants denied the interview request by Parcells. I have mixed feelings on Parcells and would ultimately not want him back. He is one of the best drafters of all-time and knows how to build a squad. However, I have adverse feelings due to him coaching within the division with the Cowgirls and I would be suspicious of a conflict of interest. Also, his ego can be out of control and he can really be an absolute curmudgeon. Remember, like I said earlier, until the actual source is revealed or the story breaks on national news, I wouldn’t be 100% invested in this story.

Note from Dan Benton:

Ladies and gents of G101, I just want to let you all know that I am taking a short LOA from MVN due to some personal issues that came up on Monday.  I was supposed to take it starting yesterday but the news and rumors were to wild to step away from.  While I am gone you should still expect daily updates from Jason, Dan and David.  Thanks everyone.

Giants Make Last Minute Change … Maybe?

Tom Coughlin - ESPN.com

As reported by David earlier this morning, there had been word that Tom Coughlin was going to resign or be fired today. I had also heard those rumors but neglected to post anything. Much like last season and the season prior with free agent signings the Giants have sent out “smoke screens.”

I just got an up-to-date report with what seems like much more accurate information and also goes right along with a recent WFAN report. According to those reports, not only will Tom Coughlin not be fired but he may be given a one-year contract extension. Continuing with that theme it appears that the Giants have settled on their new General Manager. As I announced almost a month ago, Jerry Reese is likely take over as G.M. for the retiring Ernie Accorsi.

I know people wanted to hear differently than this but that’s how things go. Take a look around the net at all the “insiders” and you’ll see the same stories. On other sites that I will not name for obvious reasons, they are still standing by their original statements that Coughlin will be gone no later than tomorrow. Sadly, that does not appear to be the case.

Tom Coughlin will likely remain with the Giants and Reese will likely take over as G.M. An announcement should be made by the Giants later today or tomorrow.

Update:

This entire situation is a mess. Now WFAN says they were just speculating and we’re all right back where we were. Smoke screens!

I guess we’ll find out within the next 24-48 hours. There are far too many conflicting reports from personal sources and/or media personalities to put a finger on this thing. This is worse than the Arrington/Burress situation combined.

Further Update:

The rumors continue to swirl and nothing is a “sure thing” right now.  All should be settled by tomorrow evening.