But they certainly upgraded their defense's biggest flaw. And the guys they do have on the interior OL are young-- it's not unreasonable to expect some improvement.
or attempted to upgrade in the case of the secondary. We've seen it before where high draft picks and expensive FA's didn't close a hole despite spending a ton of resources, and the flipside, where 'the Giants are content going with what they have' ends up making a weakness a top unit.
All conjecture and speculation until the games are played.
in the free agency/salary cap era. They spent money trying to upgrade their D's biggest weakness (time will tell if they succeeded) and are trusting their scouts and coaches that the young guys on the interior oline will improve. Only so much money to go around.
Not unlike how we approached our TE and WR situation last off-season
Besides high draft picks and free agents. I thought that is what draft picks were for. And no shame in using free agency to fill up a hole. If I recall we signed both Deon Grant and Rolle to large contracts. How is that any different from the cowboys signing Carr? They got the best CB in the draft. They didn't reach for him. And they paid for a good young CB. They didn't hand out some ridiculous contract tp spme former star.
and they were talking about how the Cowboys may go with more two TE sets. My question is, Witten (while still a great TE) is getting older and who is their other TE that they'll try to incorporate more TE sets?
but Boss really didn't contribute too much until the playoffs (probably not even then...until his 41 yard catch in the Super Bowl). I'm definitely not expecting much from him anytime soon...but reading about his raw talent is very encouraging.
Still has a bunch of question marks... And their depth at WR is pretty putrid...
While they addressed CB this offseason (Carr, Claiborne), there certainly is no guarantee that Claiborne will hit the ground running as a rookie... Even highly drafted CBs like Patrick Peterson struggled at CB until the tail end of his rookie season...
Sounds like an opening for the should of drafted so and so crowd
and I was hoping for a certain tight end but I have become remarkably comfortable about the Wilson pick. Of course I could be wrong about Wilson but I don't think so. The cowgirls could have stayyed put and drafted an offensive lineman in round one and round two, or a nice corner or wide reciever in round two, so I guess when their new corner has that day where he looks like toast the should of and could of crowd will be heard from in Dallas.
the Bennett story reads a lot like the Visanthe Shiancoe story, except Shiancoe started his career on the Giants - and was much maligned and under appreciated here. Contrary to popular belief Shiancoe went on to become a stellar TE. The Giants wanted to keep Shiancoe - much like the Cowboys wanted to keep Bennett but didn't want to pay any kind of premium or increase his role. Both were virtually ignored because of being in the same set up as a superstar TE Witten/Shockey. Personally I think Bennett's real value is as a blocker - good ones being something that we totally need. Anything he adds in the catch department with be a bonus.
went on to be a solid TE. Not superb or great. Decent reciever, decent blocker. Just solid. He had one great year with TDs when Farve had his epic 2009 comeback season.
Shiancoe was to me the Sinorice Moss of tight ends
I really thought he sucked. It seemed like he had about 7 drops for every catch, I realize that probably is not possible but I would bet he had more drops than catches. He turned out to be a weapon for the Vikings and turned himself into a very good tight end. If Bennet can do the same and his blocking is as good as advertised I think the Giants will be very happy to have him.
You are correct regarding the Dallas depth chart but I think if Phillips was healthy and on the Giants last year, he would've started over Ballard (Witten would have also).
I know you liked Ballard and I did also. He made a lot of big catches for us last year but he was also dropping a decent amount by year end, was slow and was a - blocker. Without the injury, I think he would've worked hard enough to improve his blocking and he did have natural pass catching hands but he wasn't a great tight end by any stretch.
I did not want anything to do with Bennett but I became very excited when I heard he came very cheap on a prove it deal. He is a big upgrade in the blocking department at minimum which will create a more balanced offense.
People keep saying that Robinson is raw but I think that plays more into the passing game than blocking. On film, I see a guy that should be able to function as the 2nd tight end right away. I think he will block as well if not better than Pascoe.
Beckum seemed to be getting it by the end of the year. I am pessimistic that he will be ready by the opener but later in the season, I expect him to return and contribute in the role that they originally envisioned for him which Ballard served a little in last year (3rd down tight end).
Worst case scenario is that Bear makes the team, has another year under his belt and doesn't need to worry about the fullback role as much as he has the past 2 years.
The cupboard isn't bear. There are question marks but I think there are enough question marks where bets are hedged.
I feel real good about Wilson too. Years ago I was very happy when the Giants drafted a running back named Ron Dayne and I was dead set against the Eli trade so how I feel about somebody coming out of college has to be taken with a grain of salt. That being said I have high hopes for Wilson because I get the feeling he could be very special, the good thing about running backs is if they can learn to pass protect you do not have to wait long to find out who they really are.
than not signing Laurent Robinson will haunt the Cowboys, I really think this could be one of the biggest mistakes of the offseason. 11 touchdowns coming from any position is alot of production to replace, if Austin returns to form the combination of Austin and Robinson could have been deadly. Robinson was basically gifted to Dallas by San Diego, so he was not a Jerry Jones draft pick and Jerry let him go. Its all about Jerry in Jerry World.
Last year Dallas was small on the interior of their OL. Between starting C Costa(314), and starting Guards Kosier(305) and Nagy(303), not a lot of size, Costa was their biggest interior lineman. Their backups were also light by NFL standards. The one game that this was very evident last year was the NE game. The Dallas OL was dominated on the interior that game.
When Dallas later inserted Montre Holland, a wider body, into the starting lineup, Costa's play improved, along with the rest of the OL. That's the plan for Dallas this year, they want to sandwich Costa between two large bodies. They have brought in Nate Livings(332) in FA and Ron Leary(325) as an undrafted free agent. Costa has had an off season in the weight room, unlike last year. The interior of the Dallas OL will be much more stout then last year. At least this is the plan. Let's see how it plays out.
The 5 million dollar cap penalty didn't stop Dallas from getting the players they wanted in free agency. Dallas wanted Carr, Orton, Conner, Vickers, Pool, Livings, and Bernadeau. They got all of them. The one player that Dallas didn't get was Kellen Davis, TE from Chicago. He decided to stay in Chicago, instead of playing second fiddle to Witten.
As for the Dallas WR situation, both Bryant and Austin have publicly said that they were not in top condition last year. The lockout hurt them. This year both have been getting good reviews, especially Bryant. A little sidebar. I believe that this will be Bryant's breakout year.
In Dallas the #3WR is really the #4 receiver. Management, the coaching staff, and even Romo has said that the #3WR is on the roster. It will be either Ogletree, Harris, Holmes, or Radway. Robinson was huge last year, but if Bryant and Austin have good years, the #3WR will just have to be OK, not huge.
They'll be a tough out.
All conjecture and speculation until the games are played.
Not unlike how we approached our TE and WR situation last off-season
That said, FUCK the cowboys
They will still be difficult to beat
If the Giants maul them in the opener, it may be a long year in Dallas. This might be the end for Garrett and Romo.
sound good? good....let's get it done
While they addressed CB this offseason (Carr, Claiborne), there certainly is no guarantee that Claiborne will hit the ground running as a rookie... Even highly drafted CBs like Patrick Peterson struggled at CB until the tail end of his rookie season...
I know you liked Ballard and I did also. He made a lot of big catches for us last year but he was also dropping a decent amount by year end, was slow and was a - blocker. Without the injury, I think he would've worked hard enough to improve his blocking and he did have natural pass catching hands but he wasn't a great tight end by any stretch.
I did not want anything to do with Bennett but I became very excited when I heard he came very cheap on a prove it deal. He is a big upgrade in the blocking department at minimum which will create a more balanced offense.
People keep saying that Robinson is raw but I think that plays more into the passing game than blocking. On film, I see a guy that should be able to function as the 2nd tight end right away. I think he will block as well if not better than Pascoe.
Beckum seemed to be getting it by the end of the year. I am pessimistic that he will be ready by the opener but later in the season, I expect him to return and contribute in the role that they originally envisioned for him which Ballard served a little in last year (3rd down tight end).
Worst case scenario is that Bear makes the team, has another year under his belt and doesn't need to worry about the fullback role as much as he has the past 2 years.
The cupboard isn't bear. There are question marks but I think there are enough question marks where bets are hedged.
When Dallas later inserted Montre Holland, a wider body, into the starting lineup, Costa's play improved, along with the rest of the OL. That's the plan for Dallas this year, they want to sandwich Costa between two large bodies. They have brought in Nate Livings(332) in FA and Ron Leary(325) as an undrafted free agent. Costa has had an off season in the weight room, unlike last year. The interior of the Dallas OL will be much more stout then last year. At least this is the plan. Let's see how it plays out.
The 5 million dollar cap penalty didn't stop Dallas from getting the players they wanted in free agency. Dallas wanted Carr, Orton, Conner, Vickers, Pool, Livings, and Bernadeau. They got all of them. The one player that Dallas didn't get was Kellen Davis, TE from Chicago. He decided to stay in Chicago, instead of playing second fiddle to Witten.
As for the Dallas WR situation, both Bryant and Austin have publicly said that they were not in top condition last year. The lockout hurt them. This year both have been getting good reviews, especially Bryant. A little sidebar. I believe that this will be Bryant's breakout year.
In Dallas the #3WR is really the #4 receiver. Management, the coaching staff, and even Romo has said that the #3WR is on the roster. It will be either Ogletree, Harris, Holmes, or Radway. Robinson was huge last year, but if Bryant and Austin have good years, the #3WR will just have to be OK, not huge.