Everyone knew Reese was going to be named GM today, and it was a solid press conference -- John Mara and Jonathan Tisch saying the right things, Reese -- one of the very good guys around the Giants -- saying the right things, and Ernie Accorsi, flu-bitten, looking like he wanted to be in bed somewhere.
Oh, TC was there too, saying little -- still no word on a defensive coordinator, and no official word that Kevin Gilbride is the offensive coordinator. Then he left.
Reese spoke enthusiastically about his very humble beginnings in Tiptonville, Tenn., where he worked in his great-grandfather's slaughterhouse, and his wife of 19 years, Gwen, and their two kids were on hand, themselves getting peppered with questions. Here are some of the more interesting quotes, first from Mara, then one from Reese after the crowd had scattered:
Mara on Reese: "i think he can energize our whole organization, and we could use a little of that right now."
Mara on TC: "Any coach in this league can be considered a lame duck, to a certain extent. You have to prove yourself every year. Jerry is very supportive of Tom. GM is a position where we've had a lot of continuity here and we hope to continue that."
Mara on Pioli: "I was disappointed, but I can't say that it was a major disappointment because I felt really good about the people we had in-house. There were some interesting people out there, but at the end of the day, I like the people we have in-house a heck of a lot more than what was out there. Would I have liked to have spoken to Scott? Yeah, but that's because I don't know him that well. I would have liked to have heard what he was all about, but it was not to be."
Mara on scouting: "I think our system is sound, I don't think we need any major changes in that area. We need to bring in some better players. I think, on the second day of the draft, we've gotten some good players, we've missed on some... We can improve in that area. You look at the teams playing now, they've got guys from the second day of the draft that are contributing. They're not sitting on the bench, they're not inactive. That's something we can do a little bit better on."
Reese on scouting: "For the most part, we do a good job. But there are some new ideas I'm going to present to our personnel staff to see if we can get to a different level on the type of players we bring in -- what their history is with injuries, how productive they've been. We've got to be mindful of not just getting a name, we've got to get guys who can contribute right away, especially with free agency."
Now, it's clear that Reese, who will oversee the April draft while a new personnel director is brought in, was talking about free agency -- namely, a certain No. 55, in whom the Giants put a ton of faith and who was just starting to come around when he was lost for the season (and, funny enough, LaVar was in the stadium yesterday, rehabbing his torn Achilles).
Mara, obviously, was talking more about the draft, and the fact that guys like Gerris Wilkinson were inactive for the playoff loss and Corey Webster was hurt after a disappointing season. Mara also said his brother, Chris, would have an expanded role in personnel decisions, so perhaps that's where change will start.
Comments (4)
you're always on it...
:)
Dear Arthur:
First question:
What's your take on O'Hara? Do you think the Giants will re-sign him or will he be too expensive given 1.) his agent and 2.) his steady play and excellent locker-room presence. He's hitting 30 (I think), so his play will unlikely decline, but he's been a solid center on the field and an even better citizen for the organization. Feely's circumstances seem much less up in the air.
Second question:
Is the Corey Webster experiment over yet? He never seemd to earn a starting job for himself; his rapid ascension seemed like wishful thinking of a coaching staff that was hoping that trial-by-fire experience would expedite his development. Journeyman R.W. was clearly more effective than Webster. Hopefully E.J. Underwood and Kevin Dockery will become decent players, and, who knows, maybe Frank Walker will mature and finally get on the field. Your thoughts?
Third & final question:
The free-agent pool is deep and talent-abundant. Do you have any idea which players look attractive and/or within the right price range for the Giants? Lance Briggs would be an amazing addition to the 'backers; he's one of the more under-credited defenders on the Bears and he's made a ton of huge plays for them. The Patriots, because they're the Patriots, are obviously not going to pay Asante Samuel as much as he deserves; do you think the Giants would? Obviously Michael Turner seems to have the potential to become a premier running back, but would it be a slight to Brandon Jacobs to aggressively pursue him in FA. And, in the same thread, do the Giants believe that Jacobs can handle full-time running back duties?
Sorry for the lengthy questions and thank you for keeping Giants fans informed with . You and Mike G. of the Star Ledger are BY FAR the most articulate, insightful, and the least cliche and controversy-hunting of the Giants beat writers. I won't name names, but a lot of sports journalists are absolutely awful writers, and I'm thankful that you're not one of them.
Cheers,
AJ
Cool Post AJ. I don't know what Arthur thinks, but...
1) They should definitely resign O'Hara. He's a borderline all-pro and he still has at least another 4 good years in him. Continuity on the OL is very important, too, and the Center runs the line.
Feely's OK. They weren't 8 and 8 because of him. Still, I haven't forgotton his massive choke in Seattle 2 years ago.
2) How many times do we have to see Corey Webster get burned before they cut him loose? Dockery made more plays this year than Webster's made since they drafted him.
3) I don't see the Giants making a huge splash in free agency. Betcha they feel burned by Arrington. I could be wrong, though, as it seems to me that the Plax and Kareem McKenzie signings have worked out OK. Some might disagree, but Plax had a very good year and McKenzie is just a good OT.
great news