First of I'd like to say a quick hello to everyone. I have been a lurker on this site for probably 10 years but for some reason was never able to register on here until the site changed format recently. The IP was always mysteriously blocked. Best site ever we have here.
With that said, I have great respect for the job Reese has done letting players walk a year early rather than a year late. It has hardly ever come back to bite us. But I can't justify some of these contracts we gave out without being able to match Rolle's. Sure his play was subpar this year but look at the trash he had opposite him. He certainly looked great when he had Will Hill starting alongside him. I don't think Ed Reed in his prime would have looked great in our secondary this year with the pressure the D line was generating and Quentin Demps next to him. Just my opinion.
(OTOH, good for Rolle for getting the deal he did from the Bears; players should always get the best they can for themselves.)
Rather than have another Diehl situation, I think it was safer to part ways with Rolle.
Again, I'd like to say I'm pumped to be a part of this board now. Its a shame this NYK clown ruined so many people's perception of new members but I think Rob and Carmine are on this site - carmine under the name NYGpride something I believe. I have tailgated with them many times at the meadowlands. good people. Happy I was finally able to get on here.
2nd and more importantly I think they thought they were was a good change they were getting McCourty.
IMO
Signing Rolle to a long term deal at 31 is the type of moves teams make that you regret in 2 years
Going into the season with only Behre, Taylor and Brown would be a CCBrown season risk. Hopefully Reese has learned from that.
We had to move on to evolve the D...an someone will step up to lead.
Rolle isn't the type of guy to take a one-year contract at this point in his career, nor should he have to. It's better to cut bait now and look for a guy who can be the answer at safety for years than to toss a multi-year contract at somebody who isn't in the plans down the road.
letting Joseph go was a mistake.
No experience and unable to stay on the field....not a good combination.
But it was time to move on. There just comes a time when that's necessary and this was the time. That's just the way the league works.
That's strange since PFF rated him well in covreage. And coaches and beat writers were impressed with his coverage and tackling. I remember PFF taking an issue with Giants coaches for going with Demps as their 3rd safety over Taylor. PFF didn't like Demps as a real option.
I don't understand why I keep hearing that "better one year early than one year too late" mantra. If Reese has been a master of this, then why does the roster get weaker every year under him?
Consider that veterans like Tuck and Rolle might have just had an off year, if PFF is to be believed. It takes so much effort to play in the NFL at full speed all year. It's veterans like Rolle and Tuck who already have their rings who don't play up to their full abilities when their team is obviously going nowhere. We saw Tuck talking about retirement in the middle of 2011, and then when the team was back in it Tuck played like it was 2007.
I think a Giants' defense with Boley, Canty, Osi and Blackburn would have been a whole lot better than what we had in their place. Team could have gotten another couple of year out of them and worked on rebuilding the offensive line. Look at linebacker. Boley and Blackburn were released and "replaced" with Williams (6th round 2011), Herzlich (UDFA 2011) and Paysinger(UDFA 2011). (These guys are still all on the roster, believe it or not.)
Now clearly Boley and Blackburn were not gamebreakers but Boley made a big contribution in 2011 and in 2012 he was 3rd in tackles and 2nd in solo tackles with three picks. Blackburn played really well for an "out-of-football" (think interception of Brady) and in 2012 was first in tackles, had three picks and FIVE forced fumbles.
I don't understand why I keep hearing that "better one year early than one year too late" mantra. If Reese has been a master of this, then why does the roster get weaker every year under him?
Consider that veterans like Tuck and Rolle might have just had an off year, if PFF is to be believed. It takes so much effort to play in the NFL at full speed all year. It's veterans like Rolle and Tuck who already have their rings who don't play up to their full abilities when their team is obviously going nowhere. We saw Tuck talking about retirement in the middle of 2011, and then when the team was back in it Tuck played like it was 2007.
I think a Giants' defense with Boley, Canty, Osi and Blackburn would have been a whole lot better than what we had in their place. Team could have gotten another couple of year out of them and worked on rebuilding the offensive line. Look at linebacker. Boley and Blackburn were released and "replaced" with Williams (6th round 2011), Herzlich (UDFA 2011) and Paysinger(UDFA 2011). (These guys are still all on the roster, believe it or not.)
Now clearly Boley and Blackburn were not gamebreakers but Boley made a big contribution in 2011 and in 2012 he was 3rd in tackles and 2nd in solo tackles with three picks. Blackburn played really well for an "out-of-football" (think interception of Brady) and in 2012 was first in tackles, had three picks and FIVE forced fumbles.
Agree 100%
The only issue with Taylor is his durability, or lack thereof.
The only issue with Taylor is his durability, or lack thereof.
Durability is a big issue when your letting a guy walk who missed one game in 9 years
I doubt Jerry Reese is going to put all of his Safety eggs in the Taylor/Berhe basket. If he makes the same mistake in 2015 that he made in 2009, I'll be the first one to call for his execution. There's still plenty of time to sign a UFA FS (although the pickings are getting mighty slim), and of course there's the draft.
It's a one year deal for 5 mil.
The next two years they can cut him without dead money. And if he plays well you keep him for 3+mil / yr.
I don't know 5 mil seems about right for this guy for one more year. A leader on defense and has always been healthy. He can still play, he may not be what he once was, but he can still play at a very high level.
Link - ( New Window )
Devon hit the nail on the head. The Giants probably wanted to move on but felt they had to make a bottom line offer to Rolle and he turned it down. Pride thing. Similar to when the Giants said good-bye to Brandon Jacobs, "they made him an offer he had to refuse."
Rolle's play, no matter who he was partnered with was sub-par. Clearly diminished, IMO. Loved the player but as the players say, "it's a business".
Joseph -> Hankins
Corey Webster -> Prince
Hakeem Nicks -> OBJ
Also the diamond in the rough findings of Victor Cruz , Larry Donnell , and Stevie Brown (b4 injury)
Complete nonsense.
And you constantly piss on everything. Does that make you any better?
You will see plenty wrong when we start Taylor and Behre. But I do agree that Brown and Demps offer nothing better.
Don't let the facts interfere with your opinion. In 2011 Rolle led the team in tackles and solo tackles, In 2012 he was second in tackles and led again in solo tackles. In 2013 he led again in both tackles and solo tackles. Yeah last year he fell off to only second in both tackles and solos, to McClain.
Otherwise, Rolle had a nine tackle lead over the guy who finished 3rd in tackles and a sixteen tackle lead over the guy who finished 3rd in solo tackles.
If the Giants had kept Will Hill and Rolle then, instead of looking for two safeties they would have one of the best tandems in the league while they looked for Rolle's replacement. Did you notice that the Cowboys signed a notorious wife beater? And the Giants cut Hill for smoking weed and everyone agreed. So the Cowboys will put themselves back at the top of the division and the Giants under John Mara and his lack of ability to make decisions will leave the team in the basement for years to come.
And Will Hill, by the way, won the Ravens' starting free safety position after two games. The Ravens, you may remember, are a bit better than the Giant, having made the playoffs in six of the last seasons.
Quote:
I think any player looks good or bad depending on who is playing next to him and that point seems to get overlooked by a lot of people, players help each other out and that is not better emphasized in a defensive secondary
And as the leader of the secondary, Rolle wasn't doing nearly enough to help others raise their level of play.
Nobody was. I don't think that's fair to single him out for. Antrel Rolle at his best was a fine player, but it's not like he's some incredible leader that can turn average players into stars. It's an unfair standard.
What would raise the level of the secondary's play was better coaching last season, and better work from the front 7
What would raise the level of the secondary's play was better coaching last season, and better work from the front 7
This guy will be greatly missed.