UPTICK UPTICK UPTICK UPTICK!
The Giants have absolutely killed it these past two days! Fantastic moves.
1) We loved the Geoff Schwartz signing yesterday, as the Giants got one of the top 10 solid free agents in the 2014 crop. He's a solid football player bordering on all pro, he's 27, he fits a huge need on the OL… but somehow it got way better… The Giants STOLE HIM for 4 years at 16.8M. WOW! Wonder was thinking/hoping he'd come at 6M/yr. This deal is 4.2M/yr and it makes a great signing simply incredible. We ripped Reese the day he signed (and contract details were released on) Baas. But here, we have to applaud Reese on the Schwartz signing as vociferously as he was panned on Baas. To get a solid OLineman was in and of itself a job well done. To sign him at a significant discount to our perceived value is another job well done by Reese. FANTASTIC!
2) Wonder is applauding the move to get J.D. Walton in equally gushing enthusiasm. Why? Because the Giants found a potential gem at a great price. It is a very smart reclamation project. We have no idea what they actually paid, but since he's been out of football for 2 years and has slipped through 2 teams, we assume the price was very low. This is a very cheap option on a player that was a solid starter bordering on all pro before getting hurt. Of course there are many things that have to work out for Walton to regain that form HEALTHWISE. We get that. But this is how you spend your dollars. Guys like Rich Seubert whose body parts have to be rebuilt in a laboratory somewhere are the way you get to a title, because they get the job done and they don't blow out your cap. There are zero guarantees that Walton will be able to make meaningful contributions, if at all. But the potential is the key. The risk is probably minimal dollars. The reward is a solid backup or even (dare I dream it) a solid starter. Low risk and high reward. DONE. WELL DONE.
3) The third uptick is a report heard today that Schofield may not get that 2 yr deal for 8M with the Giants because he may not have passed his physical. My apologies to the player, but this is fantastic news again for the Giants. This was the only move we panned yesterday and now the Giants might slip out of the deal. YES!
4) The last uptick of the day is that the Giants have re-signed Jon Beason. Terrific! Before we get too excited, we will mention 2 things: (1) at 29 years old, he's no spring chicken (2) he has been shown to be a liability in pass coverage. With those qualifiers in place, we are very happy he is back because Beason makes the defense BETTER. He is a bonafide linebacker. He knows where to put teammates (his effect on other players like Paysinger was noticeable). And he shoots the gap with an attacking style at the line of scrimmage that the Giants have missed for so many years. Simply stated, the Giants defense came together when Beason arrived. Glad to have him back.
Separately, sidebar… Wonder offers suggestions on how the Giants go from fantastic to off the charts psycho incredible. Idea #1- sign another reclamation project with a player who has had off-the-field problems… WR Kenny Britt. You may be able to get him cheap for a 1 or 2 yr deal. He may want to come "home" (Rutgers). Idea #2- Get TE Owen Daniels. Idea#3- Get a 2nd tier OT as cheap backup like Zach Strief, Eric Winston or (medical?) Dave Stewart.
What a day! We are simply gushing. The Jennings signing came in slightly richer than we'd like, but it was fine. Overall, this has been a great two days for the Giants. About the only thing we were miffed about was the Schofield signing, and that deal looks to get nullified/reduced. It is an amazing set of moves collectively by Reese and the Gmen. Well done!
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