Apr 172013
 

Pat Summerall Passes Away: Former Giants’ plackicker Pat Summerall, who played with the team from 1958 to 1961, has passed away due to cardiac arrest at the age of 82. Summerall’s game-winning 49-yard kick against Cleveland in the wind and snow in December 1958 led to a playoff game against the Browns the following week. The Giants won that game too and went onto play the Baltimore Colts in the NFL Championship in “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

“That’s one of the most famous games in football history and we would never have been in it if Pat hadn’t had that kick,” said former Giants great HB Frank Gifford. “It was snowing so bad, no one really knew how far it was. I remember (QB) Charlie (Conerly), who was his holder, said, ‘You son-of-a-gun, you can’t kick it that far.’ It had rained and then it snowed and it was a terrible, terrible day. Charlie was right – it was almost impossible. He came out on the field to kick it and we all said, ‘What the hell are we doing?’ But he made it.”

“Pat was a great teammate, he was fun at night and he never changed,” Gifford said. “He was a classy guy. The thing a lot of people don’t remember is that he was one hell of a football player.”

“Pat will always be a great Giant,” said Giants’ President/CEO John Mara. “He was one of my father’s favorites, and his game-winning kick in the snow against the Browns in 1958 is one of the most memorable plays in our franchise’s history. And Pat was a true gentleman and the voice of the NFL for generations of fans.”

“Pat was a wonderful ambassador not only for the NFL, but for sports in general,” said Giants’ Chairman and Executive Vice President Steve Tisch. “He was a fixture in our living rooms. We were fortunate to have him as a player and also as the voice for some of our most memorable games. Even more importantly, he was a warm, gentle man.”

On a history of the Giants’ video produced by NFL Films, Summerall said, “Once a Giant, always a Giant.”

“We’re running out of Giants,” Gifford said. “Pat lived a great life and shared a lot of wonderful things with a lot of wonderful people. On that great gridiron somewhere he’s probably celebrating himself. He was such a classy guy and he meant so much to so many of us.”

A video tribute to Pat Summerall is available at Giants.com.

Giants Re-Sign DE Adrian Tracy: According to the NFL Players Association website, the Giants have re-signed exclusive rights free agent DE Adrian Tracy.

NFL Schedule to Be Released Thursday: The NFL will release the details of the regular-season schedules for all 32 teams on Thursday at 8:00PM ET.

General Manager Jerry Reese’s Pre-Draft Press Conference on Thursday: General Manager Jerry Reese’s annual pre-draft press conference will be held on Thursday.

Giants Report to Training Camp on July 26: According to Newsday, the Giants will report to training camp on July 26 and the team’s first practice will be on July 27.

Article on DE Jason Pierre-Paul: Jason Pierre-Paul Says Giants ‘Can’t B.S. Around This Year’ by Jenny Vrentas of The Star-Ledger

Article on the Giants Returning to Work: Giants Set Home-Field Super Bowl Goals by Michael Eisen of Giants.com

Article on HB David Wilson and WR Rueben Randle: Wilson & Randle Building Off Rookie Years by Dan Salomone of Giants.com

Quotes: HB Andre Brown on his goals in 2013: “This is my year. I have to go out there and I have to produce. I feel like this is a very important season and I have to go out there and show the world what Andre Brown is made of…Totally (ready). Third down back, pass protection, goal line, short yardage – all that. I can’t wait to do it. Because I want to show, other than (scoring) the one-yard touchdown, I want to show more than what I have. I feel like I’m a home run hitter, too. As long as I go out there and produce and show the world my versatility, the sky’s the limit…I have to outdo last year’s stats. Eight touchdowns – I want 22. I want 1,300 (yards) this year. That’s the stepping stone. I have to erase last year’s stats and show I can do better.”

CB Aaron Ross on returning to the Giants: “I was hoping that I would have a chance to, but I didn’t know it was going to be so quick. I always had the Giants as a team in my heart. This is what I basically considered home; I won two rings here, was drafted here in the first round and spent five years here and I grew close relations with the guys and the coaches. So I always wanted to come back after my three-year stint (contract) in Jacksonville.”

Ross on the Giants’ secondary: “We need everybody. The division that we are in now with (QB Robert Griffin III) and his receiving corps, with (QB Michael) Vick and his receiving corps and, of course, the Dallas corps, you need four or five good corners that can play the whole year and guard those top-notch receivers as well as the quarterbacks. So I’m excited about the group. I really am. I feel like we have a great group back there. I’m excited that we have a great DB group back there. With our safeties helping us over the top and playing down in the box as well, I think the sky is the limit for us.”

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Eric Kennedy

Eric Kennedy is Editor-in-Chief of BigBlueInteractive.com, a publication of Big Blue Interactive, LLC. Follow @BigBlueInteract on Twitter.

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