New York Giants

My fellow Giants fans worldwide, I have returned from my travels and I am here to comment on the state of our New York Giants. And I say that we are strong. Strong, and we are getting stronger. Why do I make such a bold statement? Because I am drunk. Drunk on that sweet, sweet nectar of ocean blue KoolAid, no doubt spiked with a "not so little" amount of rum. It is May, and we are dragging our feet through the swamp of the offseason. This is the time when every undrafted FA signing is big, where each time an unknown catches a pass in a rather meaningless, padless OTA is the next Victor Cruz. Yes, my friends, it is May. That means that what we think now is assuredly going to be wrong. There will be triumphs and tribulations. So all of this hand-wringing and prediction making is more or less useless. But hey, it is what it is. For me, this means that nothing can stop me from looking at a 16-0 season. Nothing. It's May, what is there to lose? The homer in me is in full bloom. I know that this is likely to not be the case, and there will be troubles, but let's be honest here, we've got enough things to worry about as it is. So drink up, there's enough kool-aid for everyone! DRAFT REVIEW Every year, I do a draft review. A little late this year, but I figured I'd just add it right into the SOTU. Round: 1 Pick: OT Justin Pugh My Grade: C+ How He Fits: I gave this a grade of C+, but consider that I'm grading on a scale where a C is average. So this, for me was an above average pick, but only slightly. I do believe from a pure value standpoint, this is a reach. I had graded Pugh in my final big board as a projected mid 2nd round selection. I don't like reaches. He doesn't make terrible sense in terms of a financial standpoint. RTs don't make that much money. So my first reaction was to be puzzled. However, this selection definitely grew on me. Pugh is probably the 3rd most gifted pass protector in this draft, nipping at the heels of Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher. The one thing that Eli Manning desperately needs on the right side is pass protection. And yes, I project him to be our RT. More on that later. Pugh is also a decent enough run blocker. Check out Nfpdawg's awesome highlight video on him to check out some of the blocks he can dish out. I'm honestly not too worried about his run blocking. David Wilson does an uncanny job of squeezing into the tiniest of windows. Finally, Pugh has that versatility the Giants crave. C, G, T, you name it, he can play it. That will save the Giants both money and roster spots in terms of finding utility linemen. Also, consider this: Pugh is a bit of a finesse lineman. He uses opponent power and momentum to redirect them as opposed to imposing his own will on the defenders. The upside to that? He's going to be quite fresh in the 4th quarter. He'll be playing at a high level because he'll be playing efficiently, and that can only help burgeon Eli's capability to perform heroics at that stage. Round: 2 Pick: DT Jonathan Hankins My Grade: B How He Fits: Big Hank was a nice pick. Another need pick to be sure, but this time the value was right there. The Giants have made sort of a habit of selecting defensive tackles in the 2nd round with mixed results. But Hankins looks like a good one to be sure. He's a powerful, powerful man that can anchor. Probably only he and Mike Patterson are the only good anchors on this team. He'll play 1 tech and can slide into the nose or even 5 tech (played all 3 at OSU) in certain schemes. He's a space eater and a two gapper. He's a pure run stopper with the upside to give you something in the pass rush. His first step is very quick for a man his size, and it allows him to win the leverage battle quite easily. He's an instant upgrade at the backup 1 tech spot and will allow Joseph to take some plays off. That's huge for a team that was beyond awful in run defense. Hankins is, as Reese said, someone who "enjoys doing the dirty work." In my opini

Here are a few links from around SB Nation for your enjoyment this Thursday evening. Robert Griffin III: Redskins Quarterback Hopes to be Ready for Training Camp - Hogs HavenRedskins quarterback Robert Griffin III says explosive sprinting and cutting will come in the next couple of weeks, and that he hopes to be ready for training camp on July 25. Ron Jaworski says Chip Kelly's offense won't work - Bleeding Green NationRon Jaworski was a guest of 97.5 The Fanatic earlier this week and talked about his level of optimism for the Chip Kelly era. Prepare yourselves... it's not very high. Cowboys 4-3 Defense: Which Players Are The Worst Fits? - Blogging The BoysAs the Cowboys begins OTAs, reports are coming out about certain players who pundits think will excel in the new scheme. This begs the question: which holdovers on defense are least likely to excel? Who are the worst fits for the new scheme? Michael Crabtree injury: How would a major injury affect Arizona Cardinals WR corp? - Revenge of the BirdsWith Crabtree down for the Niners, how would things look if Larry Fitzgerald were to suffer a similar serious injury? Brian Urlacher retirement: Is he a first-ballot Hall of Famer? - SBNation.comBrian Urlacher called it a career on Wednesday and his next stop should be Canton, but will he make it into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot? Mark Sanchez: Anonymous Player Says 80-90 Percent of Team Wants Somebody Else at Quarterback - Gang Green NationOur old friend, anonymous, has popped up again with comments about Mark Sanchez per Mike Freeman. This from a Jets player, who asked not to be identified: "Everyone on the team likes Mark personally but there's a general feeling among some of the players that maybe it's time to give someone else a chance." The player went on to say that he estimates that 80-90 percent of the team feels the same way he does. Sean Payton surpasses Bill Belichick as highest paid U.S. coach - SBNation.comBill Belichick might be the best coach in the NFL, but he's no longer the highest paid, according to Forbes.

What will the New York Giants do at fullback with Henry Hynoski set for knee surgery on Friday, a fact that despite Hynoski's determination makes his availability at least early in the 2013 NFL season a question mark. The obvious short-term answer is to lean on Bear Pascoe, the 27-year-old blocking tight end who has spent some time at fullback in each of the past two seasons. The 6-foot-5, 257-pound Pascoe can play the position adequately but he is hardly the road-grading run blocker that Hynoski is. How good is Hynoski? Pro Football Focus recently graded the third-year fullback as having the highest "success rate" of any fullback in the league at 47.47 percent. PFF defines success rate as "collecting 40 percent of required yardage on first down, 60 percent of required yardage on second down, and 100 percent on either third or fourth down." The percentage is how often the Giants accomplished those benchmarks with Hynoski on the field. No team in the league ran more successful plays while using a fullback than the Giants did in 2012. If the Giants want to look outside the organization to replace Hynoski what options do they have? Here are a few: Mike Cox. Cox, 28,is a 6-foot, 260-pound five-year veteran who played seven games (six starts) for the Atlanta Falcons last season. He never ran the ball or caught a pass and he had a +2.1 overall grade from PFF. Hynoski had a grade of +8.0. More: Hynoski aims for season opener Corey McIntyre. The 34-year-old McIntyre is a 6-foot, 245-pound veteran who spent the last five seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He played only 103 snaps a season ago. Tony Fiammetta. Fiammetta, 6-foot, 242 pounds, was waived by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2011 season due to concussion issues. He was claimed by the New England Patriots, but did not play. He was released in April and would reportedly hope to play again. There are a few other fullbacks available, but none incredibly appealing.

Updating previous reports, New York Giants WR Hakeem Nicks has been absent from OTAs because of a personal reason, not because of his contract. Huddle Up: And maybe --just maybe -- Nicks' contract has become a personal issue. In any case, it's left Eli Manning and the Giants without their top 2 receivers for the time being and has given the New York/New Jersey media something to write and talk about with Tim Tebow no longer around.

The Star-Ledger-USA TODAY Sports The New York Giants began voluntary off-season training activities without Victor Cruz. Cruz’s absence was not that surprising. However, Hakeem Nicks’ absence was. Both receivers are entering the final year of their contracts and both would like to see long-term deals in place as soon as possible. Victor Cruz’s contract drama has been well publicized but Nicks has been somewhat of an afterthought. With the Giants’ two best receivers sitting out voluntary OTAs the Giants are looking for insurance and one insurance policy is a familiar face, Ramses Barden who was re-signed today to compete for a spot in training camp. The Giants looked like they were ready to move on from Barden, the Giants’ third round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, this off-season. The team signed free agent Louis Murphy but allowed Domenik Hixon to sign with the Carolina Panthers and looked somewhat disinterested in bringing Barden back. Barden caught only 29 passes for 394 yards in his four years with the team. His best performance came on a Thursday night game against the Panthers where Barden caught nine passes for 138 yards last season. He would have only four more catches the rest of the season. Barden was a promising prospect coming out of Cal-Poly. He had elite height at 6-foot-6 and was once considered a potential heir to Plaxico Burress. However, Barden just couldn’t translate the physical talent into game production. Barden will likely enter camp as the sixth receiver behind Nicks, Cruz, Rueben Randle, Murphy and Jerrel Jernigan. Pushing Barden will be Kris Adams, Brandon Collins, Kevin Hardy and Jeremy Horn. Bringing Barden back is a wise move for the Giants. In the unlikely event that Cruz or Nicks holds out the Giants will at least have someone who can step in and is familiar with the offense and has shown he can produce on the field, even if it was only one game. The Giants would love to see Barden come to camp and push Randle and Murphy for playing time. Is that likely? That is up to Barden.

New York Giants WR Rueben Randle is listed as the No. 3 receiver on the depth chart over WR Louis Murphy. Huddle Up: Translation: With starting wideouts Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks absent from OTAs, that means Randle, in his second year out of LSU, is suddenly the Giants' No. 1 WR and is getting plenty of first-team reps along with Murphy and fellow wideout Jerrel Jernigan.

Will Rames II be any more productive for the New York Giants than Ramses I? After unsuccessfully shopping himself around the NFL as a free agent for the past few months, wide receiver Ramses Barden is returning to the New York Giants, according to a published report. Reports of a possible return to the Giants by the 2009 third-round pick surfaced on Wednesday and came to fruition on Thursday morning. During his first four seasons in New York the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Barden never reached the potential the Giants thought he had when they selected him 85th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He caught only 29 passes in those four seasons, none four touchdowns, a troubling number for a player the Giants hoped would use his size and strength to become a red zone weapon. Barden did catch a career-best 14 passes in 2012. His season boiled down to a nine-catch game against the Carolina Panthers and an offensive pass interference penalty against the Philadelphia Eagles that ultimately helped cost the Giants a game and, probably, a playoff spot. Barden will likely compete for the final roster spot at wide receiver. The Giants carried six receivers a season ago, and currently have five -- Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Reuben Randle, Louis Murphy and Jerrel Jernigan -- who seem to be locks to make the 53-man roster if healthy. That means Barden's competition, barring injury, would come from the likes of Brandon Collins, Jeremy Horne, Kris Adams and Kevin Hardy.

Ramses Barden could be considered a tease during his four seasons with the Giants, a towering-looking target who was not able to translate that physical threat to on-field production. It made sense that after the four years Barden stated it was time to start anew somewhere else. Well, somewhere else did not materialize for Barden and on Thursday he arrived at the Giants’ Timex Performance Center facility and quickly re-signed with the team that made him a third-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Barden signed a one-year deal and will try to stick on the roster as a reserve receiver. “I’m happy to be back,” said Barden, who watched the Giants practice during their second organized team activity session. "This is where I wanted to be and now I’m here. I was out there listening to the calls, getting back into the rhythm of the cadence, enjoying the camaraderie and absorbing everything. I remember everything; I’ve had four years to soak it all up. I’m happy to be back on the field. I feel great. I expect the best.” Barden, 27, was drafted out of Cal Poly and his small-school dominance never translated to NFL success. He had only 15 receptions in his first three years and this past season had 14 catches for 220 yards. He had one eye-opening performance, hauling in nine passes for 138 yards in a victory over the Panthers in Carolina, making his first NFL start when he filled in for injured Hakeem Nicks. Injuries were a big part of Barden’s problem with the Giants, with a fractured ankle in 2010 curtailing a large part of the 2011 season. The Giants at the moment are depleted at receiver, with Victor Cruz staying away from the team as his contract negotiations drag on and Nicks still slowed by an off-season knee procedure. The Giants signed veteran Louis Murphy and still have Rueben Randle entering his second year and Jerrel Jernigan entering his fourth season with the team. They lost Domenik Hixon in free agency to the Panthers.

Getty ImagesHakeem Nicks. There was no reason for the Giants to anticipate Hakeem Nicks staying away from the team’s first organized team activity practice, as Nicks had been a participant in the off-season workout program in previous weeks. When Nicks did not show up on Wednesday, it irked Tom Coughlin and even Eli Manning spoke up about how important it is for players to attend and work on the field. Nicks is entering the final year of the five-year deal he signed in 2009 as a rookie but has not gone public with any displeasure about the lack of a new contract. Wednesday night, Yahoo! Sports reported that Nicks’ absence from the OTA was actually a form of protest about his contract. But Thursday morning, the author of the report, Jason Cole, posted a correction, stating it was “erroneous reporting’’ that Nicks staged a protest over his contract situation. The new Yahoo! Sports report stated Nicks’ agent, Peter Shaffer, “strongly denied’’ that Nicks’ absence was linked to his contract. Misinterpreting a team source, the report explained, led to the assumption that Nicks stayed away to make known his dissatisfaction about his contract. Nicks’s salary for the 2013 season is $2.72 million. The other starting receiver, Victor Cruz, remains unsigned as he looks to secure a long-term deal from the Giants. Nicks is coming off an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee and is not expected to participate fully in the OTA workouts even if he attends them.

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports Hakeem Nicks has huge hands. It’s an undeniable fact: his 10 1/2-inch hands are three inches larger than the average male’s. However, his hands are more impressive in his charity, Hakeem Nicks’ Helping Hands, which, in collaboration with the Food Bank of New York & New Jersey, gives backpacks filled to the brim with healthy food and snacks to hundreds of local, disadvantaged youth. Nicks started the charity in early 2012, reasoning that “access to healthy foods and staying active are critical to helping children thrive.” On Fridays, Nicks distributes the food to around 150 children from multiple schools, helping to support the one in five children in New York City who relies on emergency food programs, such as soup kitchens. On Tuesday night at the United Way of New York City’s 20th Annual Gridiron Gala, Nicks was selected as one of the 2013 Hometown Heroes for his remarkable charity work. Today, Nicks was not present at the New York Giants voluntary OTA’s, and Tom Coughlin was not pleased. “He should be here,” Coughlin remarked, according to an article by the NY Daily News. Quarterback Eli Manning was also perplexed. “I had no reason to think he wasn’t going to be here,” he said to ESPN. Nicks’ absence wasn’t the only bad news of the day. Fullback Henry Hynoski was carted off the field after an apparent leg injury and is undergoing tests. Unsurprisingly, Victor Cruz was also not in attendance as he tries to work out that long-term deal. Fans shouldn’t become worried quite just yet, as it is unlikely many expected him to report to the voluntary workouts. Nevertheless, his absence is a glimpse of how the team would look without him and a firm reminder to Giants management to sign him as soon as possible. Jacob Klein is a New York Giants writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @jacobk819 or add him to your network on Google