JasonLaCanfora Jason La Canfora
by TomRock_Newsday
Big boost for Eagles: WRs Jeremy Macklin and Steve Smith returned to practice today. We'll see how long before return to game action
We could be much worse off. I know people don't like question marks or unproven players at any position which is understandable.. but every year there are going to be some of those guys and someone has to step up. I think there's enough talent in the pool for someone to do it.
In the salary cap era, there's just no way to have proven guys at every position.
They would not have just let that player go. They made him a sizable offer the year prior. This year the offer was significantly less. Obviously they are not expecting the same player, and clearly neither is the rest of the league.
with Smith for weeks and was waiting for the Giants. At what price they signed Smith, the Eagles aren't counting on, nor do they need Steve Smith to perform at his pre-injury status.
we see who steps up for us. Losing a pre injury version of Smith hurts us. I am sure if there is a lesson to be learned it will sink in because now part 2 of this movie comes out when TT comes back and needs to be re-signed. We will see how that sequel goes.
That's the point. No one is expecting him to be the same player. At least not immediately. But this thread is filled with people telling us how good he is and how big a loss.
I think he could be a productive contributer for a team this year. I am not expecting him to the preinjury Smith this year. It may never happen, but I think it is certainly possible. He's only 26, not 36.
However, these things happen to even the very best and the Giants and us fans have no choice but to accept it, move on, and cheer our guts out for the guys we have out there.
So you just give up that easy on him? A previous Pro bowler, a fan favorite? A guy that when healthy is a franchise player. A player that wanted to stay a Giant. So don't think long term and offer him more then the Eagles did?
this offseason they cut two hurt OL. They signed a center who is better than the one they let go. They refused to overpay for a TE who caught 2 passes per game. They let a WR go who suffered a major injury. They re-signed Kiwi and kept money so that next year they have the ability to re-sign other key players.
For not shelling out a big contract to a guy coming off a very serious injury whose medical reports state he has a long way to go. Especially with your top 2 wideouts already in place. That is just silly.
because they own the team. It's the division of responsibility within an organization. If it's Abrams fault then he should get heat not Reese. Blame the guy who is at fault, not just generalize because we are fans and don't know whose fault it is, so we pick the most general guy in charge. LOL.
Even Coughlin said that Smith was 4 weeks away from the time he made his commnet. That would put him at week 2.
And there is NO way i'm buying the agent not telling Smith of a higher offer..Because that would cost the agent money and I'm sure Smith would have fired that agent on the spot.
I echo Eric here, there's more to this story and i'm leaning closer to a salary cap issue..I don't think they were prepared to offer him a big contract, healthy or not..
so if it's his fault fire him. It's simple if you are in charge of an area and you fuck up it's your head. Jerry the downstairs urinal isn't working? Damn you Reese your the GM!
Let's blame the people who actually fuck up. If we don't have the right information or all of it, then we can't comment on.
Reese plays a very large role with the salary cap. He offers contracts to players, and doesn't in some cases. His actions play a role in the salary cap. He makes decisions with the salary cap in mind.
Again, the whole point is that, unfortunately, we can't re-sign all
of our free agents. We have to pick and choose. Mind you, we have to pick and choose not just that year, but also with an eye on the future.
You have to keep in mind what future players will become available to you that could provide an upgrade, what the contracts you will be for future players, cap room in the future, ...
You can't throw money around willy nilly because other teams have other goals (short-term vs. long-term, ...) or because they overpay. You pay your valuation, and don't get bid up simply because others are doing it.
we don't know what his job duties entail exactly. I am sure if you talk to fans it would include everything under the sun, and thus blame him accordingly. I won't be surprised if the Maras are at all the meetings with the coaches. Point being, we as fans dont know shit, however we still love to blame as if we have all the information. This goes for all levels of football.
My point being let's blame the guy who is in charge. If that's indeed Reese's area directly. Then cool, blame him. I don't give two shits. Just funny how fans want to blame everything on Reese just because he is the GM.
Who are so rational about Cofield completely lost their sense of perceptive over Smith. There is no question in my mind that Cofield will help a division rival more and have the bigger impact this year. Just as people were able to accept the business aspects in his situation they can't in this case. Weird
but I think the correct reasoning there is that the Giants focus on the DLine is the DEs. They have paid Tuck and Osi substantial amounts of money there. You can;t handout huge contracts to the entire DLine.
I get what you are saying. But again, Reese does have an impact on the cap. Reese's actions and decisions he makes are based on the cap. Mara does pick and choose the players Reese wants to sign, nor does Kevin Abrams. Therefore, Reese does impact the Giants cap number fairly significantly.
Relatively different situation with Cofield. It was widely thought
that we wouldn't be able to pay Cofield, and people were resigned to losing him once FA started.
Smith, on the other hand, had (apparently) received a long-term offer the year before, had professed his desire to remain with the Giants, and there was no indication that other teams were going to seriously go after a receiver, whose ability depends on crisp route running, who had just suffered a major knee injury, and whose timetable was relatively long-term, from people in the know.
Remember the preseason when KP was coming back from the micro fracture surgery and he kept saying how great he felt. How he could run straight line fine and how he felt like he could do anything but the docs and trainers kept telling him that it would take a while?
Remember?
It seems the docs and trainers were right.
KP still doesn't look the same
So it really doesn't matter that SS is practicing lightly now. It doesn't matter that he feels great.
What matters is his level of play when the bullets start flying for real and no one at this point can say right now with any certainty just what that level will be.
The Giants Docs best guess which was likely latched on to and echoed by both JR and TC, was probably not optimistic.
And based on what we have seen from KP and the statements from the Giants that SS microfracture surgery was complicated, I am going to go with the Giants best guess.
Should it turn out differently then it was likely serendipitous for the Eagles and SS.
Should it turn out negatively for SS I will feel sorry for him. I will not feel sorry for the Eagles.
We can't control the SS situation now.
All we can do is root for whomever is going to attempt to replace SS on the field and that is where I am going to put my energy.
Maybe we are talking about different things based on your last post. I agree with that, I am talking about who people blame Reese for contracts and shit like that. Point being, they seem to give him every responsiblity under the sun. All I am saying in a nut shell, is just blame the guy in charge. If that's Reese or Mara or God, blame them or him individually. If you sit and read, you will see a lot of fans tend to up anything and everything wrong on the highest power, which is Reese. I am sure if the doctors were wrong, you'd see blame Reese for listening to the doctor. lol.
But I will be back. I have to check if the flashlights have batteries.
the whole situation didnt make much sense.. Unfortunately Steve Smith is an Eagle now and we just have to except it. But if SS fully recovers and becomes his old self again, well then we just gave the Eagles a pro bowler and someone will have to own up to that giant mistake..
if Steve Smith comes back and plays better than expected then for some of y'all that mean Reese should be fired.
On the other hand, if Steve Smith doesn't outplay the Giant's expectations and it turns out that Philly gets burned by the risk does that mean Andy Reid should be fired?
unfortunately, once you get a label, you're stuck with it..I've called out this admin. and coaches more than you think..I couldn't stand the prior regime and said so quite often. Far from a Homer..I call it as I see it. I generally go through life supporting the proven until otherwise indicated. This regime has a proven record in the main and so I support them in the main. But again, once a rep always a rep..Finally when it comes to injuries and post surgical production, I tend to go with the world renowned surgeon(s) and his proven track record. He is not always right. Neither is Reese..Neither is Coughlin..And certainly not I
In the salary cap era, there's just no way to have proven guys at every position.
However, these things happen to even the very best and the Giants and us fans have no choice but to accept it, move on, and cheer our guts out for the guys we have out there.
And there is NO way i'm buying the agent not telling Smith of a higher offer..Because that would cost the agent money and I'm sure Smith would have fired that agent on the spot.
I echo Eric here, there's more to this story and i'm leaning closer to a salary cap issue..I don't think they were prepared to offer him a big contract, healthy or not..
Let's blame the people who actually fuck up. If we don't have the right information or all of it, then we can't comment on.
You have to keep in mind what future players will become available to you that could provide an upgrade, what the contracts you will be for future players, cap room in the future, ...
You can't throw money around willy nilly because other teams have other goals (short-term vs. long-term, ...) or because they overpay. You pay your valuation, and don't get bid up simply because others are doing it.
My point being let's blame the guy who is in charge. If that's indeed Reese's area directly. Then cool, blame him. I don't give two shits. Just funny how fans want to blame everything on Reese just because he is the GM.
Smith, on the other hand, had (apparently) received a long-term offer the year before, had professed his desire to remain with the Giants, and there was no indication that other teams were going to seriously go after a receiver, whose ability depends on crisp route running, who had just suffered a major knee injury, and whose timetable was relatively long-term, from people in the know.
Remember the preseason when KP was coming back from the micro fracture surgery and he kept saying how great he felt. How he could run straight line fine and how he felt like he could do anything but the docs and trainers kept telling him that it would take a while?
Remember?
It seems the docs and trainers were right.
KP still doesn't look the same
So it really doesn't matter that SS is practicing lightly now. It doesn't matter that he feels great.
What matters is his level of play when the bullets start flying for real and no one at this point can say right now with any certainty just what that level will be.
The Giants Docs best guess which was likely latched on to and echoed by both JR and TC, was probably not optimistic.
And based on what we have seen from KP and the statements from the Giants that SS microfracture surgery was complicated, I am going to go with the Giants best guess.
Should it turn out differently then it was likely serendipitous for the Eagles and SS.
Should it turn out negatively for SS I will feel sorry for him. I will not feel sorry for the Eagles.
We can't control the SS situation now.
All we can do is root for whomever is going to attempt to replace SS on the field and that is where I am going to put my energy.
Everything else is speculation and hand wringing
But I will be back. I have to check if the flashlights have batteries.
On the other hand, if Steve Smith doesn't outplay the Giant's expectations and it turns out that Philly gets burned by the risk does that mean Andy Reid should be fired?