Pre-Camp Thoughts From John Mara; Q&A With Ben McAdoo

 Posted by
Jul 182014
 
John Mara, New York Giants (October 28, 2012)

John Mara – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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Some Pre-Camp Thoughts From John Mara: New York Giants President and CEO John Mara spoke briefly to the press at a charity event on Thursday. Some interesting tidbits:

  • On the Giants very busy free agent period: “It’s not going to happen every year. We’re not going to have that kind of cap room every year. And listen: If you’re that aggressive every year, there’s something wrong with your organization. But you have to do it every once in awhile.”
  • On the team’s secondary: “(It is) a stronger secondary than we’ve ever had before.”
  • On whether RB David Wilson (career-threatening neck injury) will be able to play: “We expect him to be playing this year, but that is going to depend on what the doctors tell us. So far, all signs are that he’s going to be ready to go.”
  • On new Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo: “I like what I’ve seen so far, but he hasn’t called a play in a game yet. (The new offense) looks great on the practice field.”
  • On his prediction for the Giants in 2014: “I was the same idiot who said last year it was the best team we’d had in years and look what happened. So, yeah. The fans do deserve better and we did our best in the offseason. It’s not just a question of doing it on the field. We think we have the pieces in place, but until we start playing games it’s just hard to tell.”
  • On DE Justin Tuck playing for the Raiders: “It’s gonna hurt seeing him in a different uniform. This one’s really gonna hurt, because he was such a great player and a great citizen for us.”

Giants.com Q&A with Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo: The video of a Giants.com Q&A with Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo is available at Giants.com.

Giants.com Q&A with QB Eli Manning: The video of a Giants.com Q&A session with QB Eli Manning is available at Giants.com.

NY Post Q&A with Giants Play-by-Play Man Bob Papa: The positional battles Bob Papa will be watching at Giants camp by Justin Terranova of The New York Post

Article on the New York Giants Quarterbacks: Giants Training Camp Battle No. 3: Ryan Nassib vs. himself and Curtis Painter by Jordan Raanan of NJ.com

Article on the New York Giants Fullbacks: Giants Training Camp Battle No. 4: Henry Hynoski vs. John Conner at fullback by Jordan Raanan of NJ.com

Article on DT Johnathan Hankins: 10 Giants you should know when training camp begins: Johnathan Hankins by Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger

Article on S Nat Berhe: 10 Giants you should know when training camp begins: Nat Berhe by Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger

Michael Strahan Elected to Hall of Fame

 Posted by
Feb 012014
 
Michael Strahan, New York Giants (January 28, 2014)

Hall of Famer Michael Strahan – © USA TODAY Sports Images

Michael Strahan Elected to Hall of Fame: Former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan (1993-2007) was officially elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Strahan played 15 seasons for the Giants and holds the team record for most regular-season games played with 216. He was voted to seven Pro Bowls and named All-Pro six times (four times first-team, two times second-team). Strahan was also named the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2001 and the NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 2001 and 2003. He accrued 141.5 sacks as a Giant. He still holds the NFL’s single-season sack record with 22.5 and is fifth all-time on the NFL’s career sack list.

“From the time that he retired, I always felt that he would be simply waiting for the mandatory time requirement before he became a Hall of Famer,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “That’s what I always thought he would be and rightfully so. He takes his place along with the great, great defensive players of the game and the great Giants of the game who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame”

“It’s hard to find guys with everything, but this guy had everything…size, speed, power, toughness, endurance, motor, smarts, leadership, heart, love for the game, but what I admired most about Michael was his pride,” said General Manager Jerry Reese. “No matter what the circumstances were, when he walked out on that field on Sunday, he was going to give it ALL to you. There aren’t many guys who can say that.”

“I’m thrilled for Michael,” said New York Giants President/CEO John Mara. “He was one of the greatest players in franchise history. Without him, there’s no way we would have won Super Bowl XLII. Not only was he a huge part of that team because of his play on the field, he was the leader of that defense. The other players looked up to him. He established a mark for consistency during his outstanding 15-year career. Very few people played the position as well as he did, particularly because he played the run as well as being a great pass-rusher. He was a leader and a great player and I’m delighted that he is going to his rightful place in Canton.”

“He’s a Hall of Famer player,” said former Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi. “And I said this when he played: I’m sure there are others, but I have never seen an elite pass rusher that played the run as well as he did. Because it doesn’t happen. Now believe me, I understand the strategy that a lot of it was to negate his pass rush. But I know that (Vince) Lombardi used to run at Deacon Jones. You just didn’t run at Michael Strahan. That wasn’t going to do you any good at all. You might slow down his pass rush, but he was going to make the play. I’ve never seen someone who was that good against the run, and he wasn’t that big. He played with leverage and technique and his brains. He had talent, don’t get me wrong, but he was such a smart player.”

Coaches, teammates and opponents congratulate Strahan by Giants.com.

See the Hall of Fame Giants section of BBI for a complete list of Giants in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bob Papa on ESPN Radio: The audio of Friday’s ESPN Radio interview with New York Giants radio play-by-play voice Bob Papa is available at ESPN.com.

Fullback John Conner on ESPN Radio: The audio of Friday’s ESPN Radio interview with fullback John Conner is available at ESPN.com.

Article on Defensive Ends Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora: Osi Umenyiora: I told Justin Tuck he should stay with Giants by Jordan Raanan of NJ.com

Article on the New York Giants Four Super Bowl Victories: Carl Banks recalls Giants’ four Super Bowl triumphs by Bob Herzog of Long Island Newsday

Article on Former Giants Wide Receiver David Tyree: Super Bowl 2014: Former Giant David Tyree ‘catches on’ every year during Super Bowl week by Dan Duggan of NJ.com

Article on Former Giants Defensive End Leonard Marshall: Super bowl memories: Former Giants DE Leonard Marshall talks key sacks by A.J. Perez of NJ.com

BBI Online Live – Guests Leonard Marshall and Bob Papa

 Posted by
Oct 142009
 

BBI Online Live is an internet radio show dedicated exclusively to coverage of the New York Giants. The show is co-hosted by Eric Kennedy of BigBlueInteractive.com (BBI) and John McDevitt of Side Kick Productions. This week’s guests were former New York Giants defensive end Leonard Marshall (1983-1992) and New York Giants radio play-by-play voice Bob Papa.

Topics discussed with Leonard Marshall included:

  • Could the Giant teams he was on have won more than two Super Bowls?
  • His breakout season in 1985.
  • Why getting double-digit sacks for a 3-4 defensive end is so difficult.
  • The role of a 3-4 defensive end and how he opened things up for his teammates.
  • His thoughts on what kind of player he would have been had he played in a 4-3 defense.
  • His post-season play during the 1986 and 1990 Championship seasons, including his hit on Joe Montana in the 1990 NFC Championship Game.
  • His work with Game Plan Foundation and other endeavors that are keeping him busy off the field.

Topics discussed with Bob Papa included:

  • His thoughts on the Giants 5-0 start.
  • His thoughts on how this fast start compares with the 2008 fast start.
  • Anything that worries him about the 2009 team.
  • The play of Brandon Jacobs this year.
  • The play of the Giants’ offensive line.
  • The Giants’ injury situation.
  • His thoughts on the Giants’ numbers in the secondary as compared to other positions.
  • His views on the upcoming game against the Saints, both offensively and defensively.
  • His views on BBI.

Eric and John also reviewed the Giants 44-7 victory over the Oakland Raiders and discussed the upcoming game against the New Orleans Saints.