Associated Press

Reports say that the New York Giants have signed DT Shaun Rogers.  More details of the contract will come out when more info is given.

Rogers last season played all 16 games with the New Orleans Saints, but only made four starts.  He spent his first seven seasons with the Detroit Lions and the following three with the Cleveland Browns.

For his career he has recorded 504 tackles, 37.5 sacks, and one interception in 2007, which he ran back for 66 yards for a touchdown.

Simmons/New York Daily News

After the NFL lockout of 2011 came to an end and free agency officially began, teams were signing players left and right.  The Philadelphia Eagles seemed to get to a fast start when they took in Nnamdi Asomugha to improve their defense.

New York Giants fans waited to see what Jerry Reese had up his sleeve.  They waited.  They waited.  They waited.

….Nothing happened.

Instead of gaining, they lost.

Giants former tight end Kevin Boss left for the Oakland Raiders, and fan-loved wide receiver Steve Smith left for the Philadelphia Eagles.

All fans, myself included, all thought the same thing:  What in the world was Reese doing???

All we did was shake our heads, while fans of the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys pointed and laughed.

After all the complaints Giants fans and media had surfaced, Reese went public and announced that he believed very highly that the 2011 Giants team as it stood was more than capable of winning the Super Bowl.

At the time, he seemed to be the only one that believed it.

I wasn’t even thinking about the Super Bowl.  I just wanted them to make the playoffs.  I couldn’t bear to watch them miss the playoffs for a third year in a row.

Even all the way up to Week 15, after they lost a second time to the Washington Redskins, I had a lot of trouble believing they were playoff bound.

Well, they proved me wrong.

The Giants immediately went into playoff mode and won every single one of their games and eventually won Super Bowl XLVI.

I didn’t start to believe they would win the Super Bowl until they reached the playoffs.

Reese believed it before the season even started.

So, Jerry Reese, I think I owe you an apology.  I said a lot of bad things about you before the start of the season.  Things I won’t dare to repeat on here.  I was angry.  I was upset.  I didn’t think you did your job.  I was wrong.  I’m sorry.

If there is ever a moment were I don’t agree with a move you make, I will keep my mouth shut.  I trust my general manager.  I believe in Jerry Reese.

Chris Faytok/The Star-Ledger

The New York Giants released Brandon Jacobs, and the NFL suspended Andre Brown for performance-enhancing drugs.  That leaves the running back depth to three players.

Ahmad Bradshaw is the first string RB.  His height (5’10″) gives him an advantage against opposing defenses.  This makes it easier for him to find smaller spaces to get through the line.

One issue with Bradshaw is that he’s injury prone.  He played last season with a stress fracture in his foot and missed four weeks.  The Giants were able to get by having a veteran Jacobs take over.  Now that Jacobs is out of the picture, Bradshaw doesn’t have an experienced back up.  If he re-injures his foot and is back on the sidelines, the Giants could have a real problem on their hands.

Da’rel Scott is coming out of his rookie season and may have an opportunity to prove himself.  Scott was the 10th player in Maryland history to rush 2,000 career yards.  He was one of four players in school history with both 2,000 rushing and 500 receiving yards.  He’s a very solid RB that, with enough training and experience, can be a worthy backup to Bradshaw.

Last season when Jacobs and Bradshaw were going through injuries, the Giants used DJ Ware in a lot of plays.  One advantage Ware has is his speed.  When he can get through a defensive line he is off to the races.  If he has more carries in games he can be a real threat.  Ware needs to work on finding the spaces in the line to get him more carries.

What the Giants need is a veteran RB.  This gives them not only more depth, but leadership.  They didn’t have that leadership with Jacobs on the squad.  If the Giants can afford to pick up a free agent for a year or two or trade up it would be a good move for them.  A veteran presence for the running backs is important.

The Associated Press

The NFL has suspended New York Giants running back Andre Brown after learning he violated the league policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Brown spent the 2011 season on the practice squad, and is best known to Giants fans as the creator of the “I Got a Ring” song on the plane ride home after winning the Super Bowl.

Brown will be available for the Giants after Week 4 of the 2012 season.  He is eligible to participate in offseason and preseason practices and games.

With the loss of Brandon Jacobs and now Brown, that leaves Ahmad Bradshaw, who has been struggling with a stress fracture in his foot from last season.

The Giants do have DJ Ware and Da’Rel Scott on the roster, but after the Brown news it’s become more important now to pick up a running back whether it’s in the draft or free agency.

Barton Silverman/The New York Times

After winning Super Bowl 46, New York Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham became a free agent.  He made it pretty clear that he was planning on leaving New York in attempt to cash in on a big contract.

….or so he thought.

Manningham and the San Francisco 49ers reached a two-year deal that would bring him across the country.  The contract is worth $7.375 million.  He’ll receive a guaranteed $1.2 million in 2012, however only $1.25 million of the $3.6 million in 2013 in guaranteed.  He’ll also receive a roster bonus of $187,500 and a workout bonus of $100,00.

That means if he gets cut after the 2012 season, he’ll only  make $4.7375 million.  So much for a big cash contract…

Josh Morgan on the other hand, who Manningham is replacing, is guaranteed $7.5 million of a $12 million contract in 2012 with the Washington Redskins.

It’s a good thing the Giants still have Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, otherwise losing Manningham to a contract like this would have been a sting in the side.

I wish Manningham well, but was it really worth the move?