Giants "in the mix" for La'el Collins

The police could make it a point of clearing him if they have evidence to support that. For that matter if someone else would be arrested and charged it would likely more than satisfy an NFL team I don't think any team would need to wait until the crime is solved.

Plus I would expect any team to include some type of clause in a contract protecting themselves to some extent.

oppurtunity that is hard to pass on for a young talented offensive lineman. The Giants are rebuilding their O-line and to get in at this point would be great for his career. There will be jobs up for grabs and Collins probably considers himself better than Flowers just for starters.

In comment 12272400 Randy in CT said:

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nonsense is Eric's fault. Yes, Eric. Our offensive line is set and we don't need any upgrades!

Agree..was this team set in dB's a year ago...no..injuries made that unit scarce. Need assume you are set..if you can get talent in here at reasonable doings...do it all the time

.

There have got to be teams who will tell the kid he's a lock to get significant PT this year. No doubt there are coaches who will promise him an OT job rather than G and a starting gig rather than spot duty. Giants cannot offer believable promises on any of that.
On top of that, he's born and raised and went to college in Baton Rouge LA pop. < 250k. I don't see him deliberately choosing to freeze his ass off all winter in the NYC metro area.

( may she rest in peace ) was not pregnant there should be someway to clear him quick. That is assuming he did not do it. An assumption the police will not make.

I see your point about weather but I also remember Eli preferring New York to sunny San Diego.

where would he play?

best 5 start

its competition, If Jerry pulls this off, I take back all the shit I said about him

....What about team colors? Will blue and red complement his complexion? Do the road uniforms make his ass look too big?

.

teams have to wait any longer.
yesterday (may 4) collins and his atty met w/BRPD for an hour. when they left his atty told reporters they answered all questions and expected to have his name cleared. later that day BRPD released a statement saying collins was *still* not considered a suspect in the ongoing investigation

Police have never called Collins a suspect, but rather a person of interest who could potentially help investigators shine some light on Mills’ past and his relationship with her. After the two sides met on Monday, the BRPD released the following statement: "Collins fully cooperated with investigators and is still not considered a suspect in the homicide."

**a note: a UDFA contract allows the player to become eligible for an extension at the end of their 2nd season (1 earlier than a draftee). i'd imagine collins' agent is negotiating a handshake deal with whoever signs him that if he's what they think he is the first 2 years, he gets a long term extension at the end of the '16 season.

In comment 12272717 JonC said:

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A bit naive on your part, salary does often play a role in why a player is in there. It shouldn't, but it does. And, that wasn't the only point I was making, the other was that the veteran does tend to be either the better player or the lesser of two evils.

And I think you are over-thinking it. I think Schwartz would get the 1st crack at it but if a rookie is better (including rookie mistakes) then he will get the job. You think Coughlin et al will risk the season/their jobs to start an inferior player just because of salary? Not happening.

In comment 12272721 Hades07 said:

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if you have a vet capable of doing the job, you'd rather have him do it than risk rookie mistakes. It's a trust thing.

Hades...that is a xompletely different argument. In that scenario the vet is getting the job bc of experience not bc of salary.

I gave other reasons and in more than one thread.

...did I need to rehash everything I agreed with?

Yes, salary does to some extent factor into who plays. Refer to a TE named Myers who used to play for the Giants if you question that.

Coaches will only bet on upside over errors when they do not have a quality vet to plug in there. So Collins could be better than Schwartz, but Schwartz will still start provided he is getting the job done. Less chance of a mistake killing a drive that way.

Obviously no room for a young stud

Or is this just the typical BBI reading comprehension issue? I didn't read every post, but I haven't seen one person say they wouldn't want him.

Regardless, Eric is right on the money again. There is very little chance of this for the Giants, even if the Giants aren't concerned about the charges. There are better opportunities for him with teams with bigger holes on paper.

Also, the Giants are pretty conservative, where as other teams are more likely to jump in (i.e., Bills, cowboys,..) on a player that has a potential major issue hanging over his head. So, I don't see the Giants moving fast enough on this.

Beatty-Collins-Richburg-Schwartz/Pugh-Flowers

Can you imagine!

I completely disagree. On paper - our line is still average and unknown. I think we over-inflate the value of our guys b/c we're hopeful. Richburg? Who knows. Pugh? Average so far. Schwartz? Injured and unknown. Collins could come in and easily start at G. If you send Pugh to the bench then so beat it.

be it. Michael Jackson is on in the background here.

In comment 12272728 chris r said:

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In comment 12272598 Giants2012 said: Quote: In comment 12272576 chris r said:] Quote: In comment 12272572 Giants2012 said: Quote: So you're calling him a lair. Do you have any basis for that or is it just libel? Yeah Chris, my source says he's lying. See how easy that is? Don't be so naïve when the media preaches sources and comes up short 9.5 out of 10 times. I'd like to see you support your claims of him coming up wrong 9.5 out of ten. Its probably the least you can do if you're going to try to undermine a man's professional credibility and therefore livelihood.

Wow, dude, it is an indirect swipe at Rannan at best. I think he is speaking in a perscepional manor about journalists in general. It is a common perception about the profession in its modern state (not just the "unimportant stuff" like sports journalism either). The strong, and I thought, heartfelt response from Raanan gives my cold withered heart some comfort, even if I am a closet optimist.

We could use a break. We've got a lot offer. We might not be a favorite, but we should be a team that has a shot especially given Schwartz's injury last year and having to older OL men on the team.

Who knows...

are really not understanding what I'm saying.

I'm not saying Collins isn't or won't become a better player than what we have. But the Giants are committed to Flowers, Pugh, Richburg in terms of draft picks (no way the Giants sit any of these three); and they are financially committed to Beatty and Schwartz starting in 2015. Plus, you may not like Beatty, but you don't want Flowers starting at LT his rookie season.

So what you guys are suggesting is that Collins has a realistic chance of beating out Pugh at guard or Flowers at right tackle or Schwartz at guard in 2015. I can't see it, and I don't think his agent will see it that way either. I also don't think the Giants want to start two rookies on the OL at the same time either.

Now if Collins is willing to come here, and sit a year, that would be awesome. But I don't see it.

Let's put it this way, can any of you see Tom Coughlin and Pat Flaherty starting rookies at RG and RT, and can you see Schwartz being cut? I can't see it.

Not a suspect but not cleared. Friends of murder victim think Collins was the baby's father.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/sports/college/lsu/2015/05/04/lael-collins-suspect-cleared/26887481/

outside of reading about a few guys I liked (our first two picks were among them for the first time ever). Can someone explain why he dropped out of the draft completely. At first, from posts here, I thought he killed someone. Then, he wasn't even a suspect. It was something other than the ex-girlfriend's murder, right? What was/is it?

outstanding posts in this thread. I like your optimism and hope you are right.

All bonuses and incentives written into a contract count toward the rookie allocation, even if they are never earned.

YANKEE28 hit the one small bit of wiggle room: guaranteed salary. That's how Philly landed Bamiro. It didn't end well for them, but it did enable them to land their guy. With La'el Collins, guaranteed salary probably won't be a trump card. It's more likely the price of a seat at the card table.

In comment 12272879 Eric from BBI said:

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are really not understanding what I'm saying. I'm not saying Collins isn't or won't become a better player than what we have. But the Giants are committed to Flowers, Pugh, Richburg in terms of draft picks (no way the Giants sit any of these three); and they are financially committed to Beatty and Schwartz starting in 2015. Plus, you may not like Beatty, but you don't want Flowers starting at LT his rookie season. So what you guys are suggesting is that Collins has a realistic chance of beating out Pugh at guard or Flowers at right tackle or Schwartz at guard in 2015. I can't see it, and I don't think his agent will see it that way either. I also don't think the Giants want to start two rookies on the OL at the same time either. Now if Collins is willing to come here, and sit a year, that would be awesome. But I don't see it. Let's put it this way, can any of you see Tom Coughlin and Pat Flaherty starting rookies at RG and RT, and can you see Schwartz being cut? I can't see it.

Pugh never played OG, so with competition, he isn't a lock. Schwartz may not be 100% and is also now another year older. If Collins is as good as advertised, he at least would have to be considered in the mix for th OG spots. If he loses out, he would have a strong shot the next year.

As for LT, I don't think Flowers is even a consideration for LT. But, hypothetically, if he is better than Beatty, then why not play him there now? I never liked moving guys around the line a bunch.

If you think there is even a 1 percent chance that Pugh gets benched, then I don't even know what to say. The Giants are not going to bench Pugh.

The most you could possibly argue is that a Tom Coughlin/Pat Flaherty team cuts Schwartz and starts two rookies on the OL with a 34-year old QB. I don't see it.

...I fully get what you are saying. And you might be right, that is what his advisers are telling him.. But what you are suggesting is very bad advice. Playing time in 2015 should not be Collins' top priority in choosing a team. Performance in 2016 and 2017 and a club's loyalties and treatment of its players should factor higher. An OL that will not turn over many players in that time frame should also be a higher priority, because that will lead to better personal performance for Collins.

I don't expect the Giants to sign him, would be nice if they could, but I cannot agree that playing time in 2015 should factor heavily into the decision.

Why not play Flowers now at left tackle? Because he is a 21-year old rookie with pretty darn bad technique. The last thing you want him to do is blocking for Eli this year.

The Giants have basically come out and said he's there RT this year (Pugh will "love" that) and that Flowers has a chance to be a future LT.

I don't disagree...I just don't anticipate his agent thinking that way. If he does, that would be awesome.

Flowers...last thing blocking for Eli at left tackle.

look at opportunity to start relative to other talent as a high priority. he will also consider total compensation (likely similar across the board), culture of the team, location of the team, etc. while the giants appear set on the line, injuries can and do happen and with this team, the injuries tend to be clustered. we also have an injury prone schwartz, richburg playing his first pro season at centre, pugh playing guard for the first time, flowers a rookie also on the line, beatty has had injury issues in the past. it's not like this line is circa 2007-2008, the hogs or the cowboys line of the early 90s...it's not as if his signing will automatically mean he sits for a year.

mind...the best shot at this we have is due to Beckham (and to a lesser extent Randle). Plus perhaps for the other reasons Yankee mentions.

where he really has very little chance to start in his first year barring injuries.

...I thought you felt that was the most important thing.

like his former coach could just be enough. I also think he would have to be considered as a potential starter. I like Pugh, but is anyone really confident that he would be better than COllins at LG, even right out of the gate? Or Schwartz? Or that Schwartz could even stay healthy?

In comment 12272733 gidiefor said:

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radar - is this a little man love here -- defending a man's professional credibility and livelihood -- I'm gonna remind you of this -- I promise I will --- LoL

Funny thing is, just today he criticized Chris Webber's journalistic integrity and credibility for NOT asserting that LeBron James may have intentionally hurt Jimmy Butler!

thank you for the bonus information on the 2 confirmed Giants UDFA's. I had not seen that reported by Jordan. I become more optimistic about the effort the Giants are making to get Collins when I see those small amounts.

Current Giant OT Emmett Cleary got $20,000 from the Colts when he came out and went undrafted and we gave Kerry Wynn $15,000 last year. Several signings this year by other teams have already been $15,000 bonuses, including WR George Farmer to the Cowboys.

It appears to me the Giants are saving some money here for a reason.

Another thought- About 10 years ago, Michael Strahan started earning substantial dollars being a spokesman for Subway. A year or 2 later, his close friend, Justin Tuck was brought in by Subway to do the same.

Is it possible that a similar marketing opportunity opens with Odell (this kid has to be as hot as it gets as far as marketing opportunites) and also includes Collins? You could even say the same for Eli, who has no shortage of sponsors.

I think the definition of his agents comment of "best situation for his client" can be translated as "where can my client get paid the most". It may well be in the city that never sleeps.

In comment 12272761 TJ said:

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There have got to be teams who will tell the kid he's a lock to get significant PT this year. No doubt there are coaches who will promise him an OT job rather than G and a starting gig rather than spot duty. Giants cannot offer believable promises on any of that. On top of that, he's born and raised and went to college in Baton Rouge LA pop. < 250k. I don't see him deliberately choosing to freeze his ass off all winter in the NYC metro area.

We've probably got as good a chance as any other team we'd stack up against. For all we know he's always dreamt of living in a big city for a while, and/or the agents may think highly of the Giants as an organization in general and opportunity for Collins in particular.

But I just have to think some other team is going to be a bit more willing to get into the mud than the Giants, who will possibly (and rightfully) be very judicious and only act once ALL doubt has been removed. If that doesn't quite happen immediately but MOST doubt has been removed, that will probably be good enough for several teams, us likely not being among them.

Collins is more NFL ready than Flowers, I think. We have a GREAT organization and he has to know our line depth isn't all that.

I mean, could you imagine both Flowers and Collins blossoming together? Oy!!!

If you're like me and assumed this was only smoke do a CTL F for Yankee28 and read up.

Hard not to get the hopes up a little bit.

If he clears. Not one of our offensive lineman are set at any one position for sure. With the way our guys get hurt, we can use as much depth as possible. The Giants Oline situation is as good as any for him to be in. Let the best 5 play

endorsement potential for athletes playing in the NY metro area. Collins will not earn more money in NY than in any other market. Since every team will be offering him the same money, the tie breaker will be which team will give him the opportunity to start from day one. The faster he can get on the field the faster he can show case and market his talents for his next contract negotiations in 2 or 3 years (depending on if he starts this year or next). I think if he starts now he might be able to renegotiate his contract in 2 years. The only way I see him coming to the Giants is if he will start.

bring good points.. desire playing time immediately. But, look at Yankees post...I think there might be enough influence to Collins to come here and maybe work it out down the line..giving a bigger picture if he has patience.

Has this dude been cleared of any and all wrongdoing??

In comment 12272985 BlueHurricane said:

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Has this dude been cleared of any and all wrongdoing??

In comment 12272985 BlueHurricane said:

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Has this dude been cleared of any and all wrongdoing??

Nope not yet..

Collins would be a free 1st rnd pick paid next to nothing. That would offset any investment in Schwartz or even Pugh for that matter.