I know he is gone but Steve Smith is now practicing....

with pesky facts.

Stop it!

is one of the best members on BBI. I agree with him, and just like Reese, '56 has a good track record with his posts and opinions he shares here on BBI.

But people (and there are plenty here right now on this very thread) are allowed to have a differing opinion from the Giants organization. They are not perfect, and have made their share of mistakes. It is possible, you know.

Your thoughts and writing style are like a child as is your inability not to reflexively overreact to anything and everything that is deemed news, worthy or not..

I keep saying I won't bother responding to your posts, yet I keep getting reeled back in..My bad

I don't care. Apparently, you are the only one with the problem. Sorry, that I and others don't agree with every single thing the Giants have done. You do, and that is perfectly fine.

I don't think any of us believed Smith would start practicing a full 15 days before opening weekend. None of us know when he will be back, but it's very possible he is back much sooner rather than later.

screwed up here when it's clear the agent had no intention of having smith sign with the giants. seriously beyond stupid at this point.

By the Giants' crack medical staff...

they can't have their own opinions. That's what makes a MB fun. If everyone had the same opinion it would be fucking boring.

That being said, the giants had a game plan this FA, and listened to their doctor. Either way, one can't fault that, especially Reese, who people want to blame. How do you blame a guy who is listening to a top doctor who did the surgery on his knee?

I am just saying, '56 knows his shit, plus he is a doctor, so I am going to listen to a guy who knows about that aspect. I been a coach so I know how stuff works from the coaching perspective, when the doc and trainer all meet and give the coach a report or status update on the hurt players. That works for ALL levels of football. So if Coughlin thought it would be a long haul, chances are he is echoing words, that the doctors gave him.

It just seems people can't get over the fact he is not a giant. The best thing, which i personally adopted, is not having a favorite player. So no attachments to any specific player. So Smith is gone now, someone else has to step up and get that production. Trust the veteran offensive staff to make the adjustments to do so. Until it all falls apart, I have no reason not to trust the franchise. It's not like we are the Browns, Cards, or Lions who have fucked up very often.

From the outset, I did not want to lose Smith, Bradshaw, and Kiwi. I will never back off those sentiments. I was not happy when Smith was not resigned at all, I looked at it as an opportunity to sign a great player long term for cheap, that opinion was obviously not shared by the Giants organization and Reese. I do not agree at all with that decision. But with all that said, Reese has done a good job and has been very good especially in the draft. So you have to give him the benefit of the doubt and wait and see how everything pans out. Just because Smith is practicing does not make Reese wrong. Plus if players like Cruz, Hixon and Jernigan have a good season along with Manningham and Nicks, what is the difference, you can not keep everyone anyway. Now is not the time to complain. If the season had just ended and Smith caught 100 passes and we never did get a good third reciever going, then you complain.

can we see Smith perform before saying Reese screwed up?

If he comes back early and is ineffective are we still going to bitch Reese?

Our next general manager had better have his medical degree.

I've seen Brandon use that exact same "then stop responding, I don't care..." line prior to being banned.

is totally clueless and Giants 1983 is totally in the know. Yup that's the ticket. Because Steve Smith is jogging on the sidelines at practice reese is an idiot. He still won't be back week one and even if he were he won't be the old Steve Smith. Some of you need to move on. Andy Reid didn't sleeo with your wife...I DID

whole situation is very strange.

Without the benefit of additional information, it certainly appears the Giants' medical staff screwed up.

then Wallace. So you better get some new dupes lined up and established.

seem to follow a certain pattern.

What's going to be funny is if the Giants manage to replace his production and the Eagles end up not needing him because Maclin returned. Then it'll have been a whole lot of hot air over nothing.

The Agent is the main reason Steve Smith isn't a Giant right now.

He didn't even know about the extension we offered last season!

that the Eagles signed this offseason, including Nnamdi, which NOBODY knew the Eagles were even in the bidding for until it was too late.

The Giants dispite having Nicks and Manningham look at Smith as a long term investment. The Eagles facing uncertainity over the Macklin situation look at Smith as a Stop-gap.

The amount of rehab and practice it will take to get him up to game speed is unknown but whinning over the guy finally being able to do equalivant of a jogging walk-through three weeks before the start of the season is insane.

Agee about the medical staff.

HSS if Smith comes back before their anticipation. I don't get why when it comes to the Giants these doctors are lauded but when it comes to the Mets and Knicks these very same doctors are ridicule. Something doesn't add up. I do know they are great at trying to help cover gunshot wounds.

cool.

The agent didn't convince the Giants' medical staff that Smith couldn't practice or play until half the year was over.

We'll see how Smith holds up, but this smells.

and should be accountable. When you succeed you reap the praise and when you fuck up you deserve the criticism.

Let it go.
You know how we cringe every time Phillips is in on a tackle and it's been well over a year with him. You have the same thing with smith. Every time this guy make a catch the fans will pray he gets back up. He will take shots on those knees and they will hurt. He ain't catching 107 balls for them.

Practicing lightly is far from game ready..As LiP said, it's effectively a glorified jog/walk through..Even if he plays sooner rather than later, what will be his effectiveness? There are far more questions about his health than there are answers, imo...In light of very little evidence, I'm surprised you of all people, would come out and buy into a screw-up at this juncture..

many are looking beyond week 1. It is very plausible that Smith is contributing in December for a bitter division rival and in the playoffs and then, worse, in the years ahead. For a bitter division rival

the Eagles only offered a 1 year deal.

What did the Eagles deal offer that ours didn't and why weren't we given the opportunity to match?

source? Since you are so definitive that JR fucked up, can you offer a modicum of evidence AT THIS POINT, that that is so?

that he expected, and was WILLING, to sign a 1 year deal with us.

Then, the Eagles "wanted him more"?

SS hasn't performed on the field at this point. We don't know the extent to which he will perform. It's a 1 year contract. Reese only fucks up if Smith significantly contributes (and any "contribution" doesn't mean Reese fucked up).

We don't know the dynamics behind the offers although, as others have pointed out, it smells.

We don't know what the medical staff told Reese.

Holy jump to conclusions...

It was increasingly unlikely NYG could afford to re-sign him AND re-sign M2 AND Nicks, etc.

If Reese made a mistake or two, and I suspect he probably did in conjunction with the agent being less than honest, we'll see how he handles T2's contract status next offseason.

Relax, we still have our two most talented wideouts.

Very good post! If anyone had to talk to the media I wish it was our medical staff so they can explain what was going on with Smith's knee and what they said to Reese, Mara, and Coughlin.

only the SHADOW knows. What if the eagles know that the season starts in a couple of weeks and they want to make sure that he looks like he may make it or may not make it before they have to gaurenteE(sp) the money, and then what if they don't like the way he looks they cut him before the season starts and then they are off the hook.That just may be what's happening. Like i said only the shadow knows

blaming the agent for all of the FA signings. I'm sure the players who were all represented by Dogra were getting misinformation?.? Either that, or the Eagles ha a lot of money to spend.

withheld a major offer from Smith before the injury and then he doesn't give the Giants a chance to match this offer. This agent was delivering guys to Philly.

For me I think Steve Smith was incredibly important to this offense. I see him as a better player than Mannigham. I had this feeling all along from the start of FA that he should have been more aggressive in resigning Smith. For me I think the risjk was worth the reward. My only evidence is Coughlin's reaction to losing Smith.

I have no comments on the medical staff and their prognosis of when he would be able to play or not. I've had enough serious knee problems to know how difficult it can be to project recovery.

not sure what the legal ramifications would be. I would assume that any personal details about Smith aired publicly, would have to get Smith's ok? Again, not sure

Anyone remember Tyree the training camp after we won SB42?

Yeah, he "practiced". Did he make the team? No, because he simply couldn't return to form. Another example; Mark Bavaro practiced after the Giants told him he was done, and actually made the Browns, then Eagles, but he wasn't the same guy we all knew.

Even with best prognosis, SS is not going to be the SS we know, after this kind of injury, for at least a year. It's more likely he gets injured, but the Eagles don't care. They took a flyer, just like we did with Lavar Arrington, who also had a history of being injured. Remember, we were looking to keep Steve for more than one year, unlike the Eagles, so we would be more conservative.

Is it possible the injury was misdiagnosed? I doubt it, though anything is possible. Sometimes, you can tough things out, but in the long run, the odds are against you. I think that's what's happening here.

Slice it and dice it any way you want but we lost 3 key young home grown talent. That said is a fuck up for any organization.

Nobody here finds it odd that the Giants are saying they offered a 5 year, 35 million dollar extension and Steve Smith is saying he didn't know about that offer?

Agree. The medical staff is in a position of trying to predict how Smith's knee would react to his type of game.

It's an inexact science, and some doctors will be more cautious than others.

Perhaps the Giants medical staff made a more long-term diagnosis based upon the perception that SS had stated he wanted to remain a Giant, while the Eagles doctors made a more short-term diagnosis, based on their "win now" mode?

Really, really can't see why Reese is faulted. He's doing exactly what he should be doing. Listening to people who have much more knowledge on the situation (firsthand knowledge, by the way), and who are in much better position to predict the future of Smith's career.

But, again, it's an inexact science. Some people will heal, some people won't. If we signed him to a higher paid contract and he never returned, people would blast Reese for overpaying.

Even if he is not your patient anymore? What happens if the Eagles medical staff want our files? Do they have the right to get copies? It's interesting because sports is a public thing with lots of media exposure, so how do patient-doctor laws apply in this environment?

blame reese for something out of his control is beyond fucking perplexing.

Vick is placed on IR by week 4 and the Eagles have no one to throw to Steve Smith.

Based on what I remember the Giants thought he might be game ready around weeks 4 thru 6, while the Eagles thought more weeks 1-4. Only 2-3 weeks difference. We will see who was closer. Remember there were 30 other teams that didn't pursue him as much. The bigger question to me is how the Eagles will handle DeSean's contact this year, Smith's at the end of this year, without ticking off Maclyn who has two years left.

practice. If I am right in my assumption, I would love to see the practice in which the media is invited and what he does there.

is as far off his game as Kenny Phillips was last year he's not going to be worth the money.

because there is zero real evidence to show that Dogra did anything wrong.

I expect Steve SMith to be contributing to the Eagles offense in time for the late season stretch drive. How much he contributes is the question but I have accepted the fact that they outbid the Giants.

But to me any contribution that he gives the Eagles doesn't automatically mean the Giant's medical staff messed up if he exceeds their expectations or that Reese should have known.

What I don't get is the angst over a jogging walk-through for a man who will likely be limited this year. Freaking idiots may be the wrong phrase but this is looking like a male soap opera