According to Francessa: The Giants need to spend....

and one backup type like retaining Walton on a near vet minimum deal.

also said - without a doubt - that Manziel would be an elite NFL qb.

Anything he says about the intricacies of building teams, positioning players, trades, Free Agency, etc should be taken with a healthy grain of salt.

they need one new starter.

They need a mauler at LG because Beatty is more of a finnesse guy...putting a mauler next to him i think would fit the best..

and an OT with an eye to replacing Beatty down the line.

So, moot point.

and I agree with him.

I can see 2 premium at most: 1 FA acquisition to start immediately at LG/RT and possibly an OL in the top 3 rounds. Though if they get a starter in FA, I think they can wait until the 4th and grab a developmental guy (Marpet?) as well.

as I do about curling.

FA RT, draft a LT.

More likely, they sign a FA RT and kick Pugh inside, or just sign a FA OG.

offer to trade down. I don't think Reese approaches it that way. I think he attacks need in free agency when he can. I think he tries to stick with his mantra of BPA in the draft while being very concious of need. I doubt he ever puts himself in the box that the press outlines for him.

They need a top starter in FA and at least 2 quality depth guys. (Who will be inevitably utilized)

I think we do need at min 3 lineman (I would be ok with 4 new ones), 2 of which looked as LONG term starters.

We also need WR, Blocking TE, RB (late in draft or vet like Bush for 2.5m 1 yr deal, etc), LB, DE, Safety and Nickel corner (that might be filled with WT3rd possibly staying)

you still need a defense and right now, we have 3 of the 11 starters.

O-line has become an obsession around here.

you should have five starter-caliber players, but your first and second guys off the bench cannot be guys like Walton who lose their physical matchups more often than not. Injuries will happen and those guys will play.

Based on that, 2 solid players off the bench plus the first-rounder comes to Mike's number. Jones is an unknown, but hope springs eternal.

Did Da Pope provide any context for his argument?

Garbage like Jerry can't cut it anymore, given the questions about some of the [penciled in] starters. However they find those three or so guys is however they find them.

The problem is that they also need help at pretty much every position on defense and only have one weapon to really bank on when it comes to offensive skill players too. There's only so many picks and so much cap space, with only so much talent as feasible options for them given the draft/FA pools.

draft 2, cut some of the others.

Like it or not, seems to me the Giants have 1 hole to fill on the starting O-Line. Have to believe given where they sit right now, Beatty, Richburg, Schwartz and Pugh are all penciled in as starters. Who knows what they do in F/A. But given that line-up, to think they will spend 3 premium picks on the line is naive.

and draft depth/future starters. I don't want to rely on a rookie or take the chance of missing out on BPA in the draft.

Looking at it in optimistic fashion.

Giants high on Richburg at Center ( they signed the #1 CFL player as a backup/maybe more),Beatty had a pretty good bounce-back season last year, Schwartz is good just needs to be healthy, Pugh battled through injury but was very good his rookie year.

That's 4 of 5 OL (not counting Jones) that have a decent chance to be pretty good. Get a quality OT/OG in FA and a highly graded OL in the top 3 rounds and you have 6 quality players.

One plug-and-play starter via free agency; one future starter in the draft.

A depth upgrade is needed too, but that's not a "premium" acquisition. Besides, MF has no more insight than we do about the team's view of developmental linemen already on the roster, like Brett Jones, Eric Herman and Michael Bamiro.

In comment 12153672 Bernie said:

Quote:

Like it or not, seems to me the Giants have 1 hole to fill on the starting O-Line. Have to believe given where they sit right now, Beatty, Richburg, Schwartz and Pugh are all penciled in as starters. Who knows what they do in F/A. But given that line-up, to think they will spend 3 premium picks on the line is naive.

Not sure why you think Beatty wouldnt start. He wasn't remotely a problem last season.

said, I'd like to see them sign one UFA to start on the OL and then draft another OL in the 2-4th round to develop. I'd rather see us draft Cooper/White at #9 if one falls to us or draft defense in that spot, rather than an OL.

and Schwartz comes back ready, I'd like a big nasty G who can maul and provide stability to the C And T positions on doubles, traps, pulls, screens and pass blocking. Look to FA for some experienced depth after that.

This is why I like drafting Scherff and kicking him inside.

really need three or four players, at least two of whom can start. The starters are presumably:

Beatty.
FA/Draft pick.
Richburg.
Schwartz.
Pugh.

Lot of questions with that group. Can Richburg succeed in his first year at center? Will Schwartz provide a boost to the run game? Can Pugh improve over his performance last year? If LG is a draft pick, can that player come in and play well right away. Beatty probably has the fewest question marks.

Most of the rest of the OL should just be jettisoned en masse. That won't happen, but Reynolds, Walton, Jerry, Snyder, and probably Herman and Mosley, shouldn't even be on the team. Mosley couldn't even beat out Jerry. Brown is gone. So is Brewer. Rogers Gaines and Jones are probably the best backups right now, even though neither has played in a regular season game.

We need a FA and a high draft pick, along with a day three pick. Then you hope that Gaines, Jones, and another player are good enough to justify roster spots.

a bit but the point is Reese has been willfully blind to this need for years and he better wake up. This patchwork process has failed miserably. He better start with Scherff or Peat at 9 and go from there.

They need one quality FA to give them 5 decent starters on the OL. They need some backup vets one of which they have already signed in Jones.

I don't think the Giants will necessarily draft an OL in the top 3 as long as they've signed a decent starting FA G or T and a backup or two.

If not via 2 FAs then 1 FA and 1 @ #9, then at 72?(if they can find one to develop).
Need at least 1 vet, 1 rookie to start, and 1 projected upgrade over Walton/Jerry/Brewer and Co.
Unless Jones wins a spot.
Can't count on Schwartz; but if he comes thru the 72? can be developed.

I completely agree that most of our attention should be on defense but which 3 of the following 6 players do you believe are not starters now: JPP, Hankins, Beason, Kennard, Amukamara, DRC?

Francesa is useless and lazy. Listen close the next time someone calls in about the draft.

His answer is always something like: "It's too early to talk draft." or "We don't even know who's in the draft yet."

He has no clue. He loved Teddy Bridgewater when he wasn't even in the draft.

He's rather talk about the Mets #2 hitter than the NFL draft.

because he can't be relied on to get on the field and stay there.

Salary cap, do the cuts that are needed and then restructure Eli contract. Sign Mike Iupatie and then draft the best offensive lineman no early then the third round. Any other good free agents signing is a plus.

going to invest in the OL the extent one want. Nor can/should they, given how many other issues are on this roster.

The Giants had the 30th YPC in the NFL in 2014, but were still tenth in rushing attempts. Given the clear focus on running the ball (that isn't likely to go away), they absolutely have to improve on their dog shit run blocking along the OL, regardless of what they trot out there at RB, in order to not continue to almost haplessly give away downs.

.

come in day one and compete with Beatty for LT and another guard in case Schwartz goes down again (Marpett maybe).

Imo if you are going to pay what Beattys contract next contract is going to cost you want to know you have the guy there. Nobody really thinks Beatty is the guy. Not on the Left anyway.

2nd round needs to be a DT or Maxx Williams if he makes it that far or even the DE from Washington.

The Giants will draft a lineman early once again, although maybe not the first round, but probably the second, and they will get a good player too, and i think they will add a lineman through free agency, let's remember we also have Schwartz coming back, he is like adding a free agent also. But I think if the Giants just do that, they should be able to have a pretty good offensive line.

I would not be so eagar to do what the Cowboys did, like so many here are saying, sure they have a great offensive line, and did well with that defense, but I want to see that done again before I say that is the way to do things, and maybe we should ask ourselves how many championships has that produced before we are so certain that is the way to go.

The Giants way of doing things in my view is just fine, Reese has done just fine, he had some bad breaks, and some bad picks also, but EVERYONE does, we need defensive line help, we need help at the safety position, we need help at linebacker, we need help at running back, and we need help at tight end, and these positions should not be ignored just to put all our eggs in upgrading the OLine. Why do that when you can try and do more then that. Spags is going to ask for help to make his defense work, and they have got to give him that help also, or why bring him in here. He is not a magician.

to much coke.

Hes been in the business long enough to know how to address topics like he knows what hes talking about. I dont mean that as a knock, its a remarkable skill. If hes asked a question he cant answer he answers a question that he can speak on rudimentally. Its alot like watching a skilled appellate lawyer addressing questions from a panel of judges.

and the dominos fall into place. all the sudden this Line doesn't look too bad. obviously schwartz needs to be healthy but i was impressed w/him in his brief regular season play

i'm very high on richburg at C

...is horrid and needs to be rebuilt. That said, I think that the best way to ensure that this team makes some noise next year is to build a real o-line. Even one that performs at league average would do wonders for the team.

If the O line sucks again next year it would be criminal.

the defense needs 4 new starters and that's assuming Rolle and JPP come back.

when it comes to his take on the Giants. But I think he is wrong here. Giants have two young guys and high priority FA on that line right now.

FO has to assume they were good picks, and go forward accordingly. It would be a shame to miss out on some of these receivers and pass rushers that might be available by overloading in one area.

In comment 12153695 Salty Meats said:

Quote:

a bit but the point is Reese has been willfully blind to this need for years and he better wake up. This patchwork process has failed miserably. He better start with Scherff or Peat at 9 and go from there.

This is a myth. Reese and the Giants haven't been blind to anything. They've been ineffective, which arguably is worse.

2014 - Weston Richburg - C - 2nd round pick
2013 - Justin Pugh - OT - 1st round pick
2013 - Eric Herman - OG - 7th round pick
2012 - Brandon Mosley - OL - 4th round pick
2012 - Matt McCants - OL - 7th round pick
2011 - James Brewer - OT - 4th round pick
2010 - MItch Petrus - OG - 5th round pick
2009 - Will Beatty - OT - 2nd round pick

Plus free agents (off the top of my head): Geoff Schwartz, John Jerry, J.D. Walton, David Baas.

This isn't "patchwork." It's a team expending huge resources, both in cash and draft picks, to maintain and upgrade its line. The problem isn't lack of attention or lack of resources, it's that most of those moves have failed.

I'd be happier if it really was a problem of inattention. It's worse to see the team blowing pick after pick on OL prospects who never amount to anything, and on free agents who leave you thinking "Oh, THAT's why he was allowed to walk."

to come up with the brilliant opinion that they need better players on the O-Line

what the Giants or any other NFL team needs.

short and sweet

Presuming Pugh is moving inside, you have one OG. Schwartz mans the other OG. That moves Richburg to C. three spots are set to the point that you can't plan on replacing them just yet. On paper, they are the future inside. you don't spend premium picks as a backup plan for a plan you haven't even tried yet.

IF you move Pugh, that leaves no one at RT. So you need an acquisition. If you leave Pugh at RT, you still need an acquisition for OG. either way, only one.

Beatty is the wildcard. they know what they have. If it's good enough, we have LT locked up. If it's not, draft a player to replace him after another year. that player is a backup for this year.

I wouldn't be upset at spending 3 premium picks on OL, but I also don't think it's necessary unless Giants are not sold on one of Schwartz, Richburg, Pugh, and all three have been premium picks over the last 2 years.

you don't spend premium picks on backups.

nice post. I could argue that they've tried to get too cute in bringing in low draft picks, and marginal FA, so except for the last couple years, they haven't spent massive amounts on OL. but they tried, and failed spectacularly, jury still being out on the last 2 years.

As I've stated multiple times, I'm a firm believer that the position coaches get some significant input in acquisitions in their area. So, what does this say about McNally? that his input is bad over the last 5 or more years, or that they ignore him?

Any attention over on BBI. He's basically the equivalent of Skip Bayless.

is completely overstated.