Now that the season is over, I would like to share my ideas for Free Agency. My ideas may seem out of the box, but please bare with me. If Reese follows this, we dominate (IMO). My goal is to fix the team in free agency and then draft best player available in the draft. Please note a PFF score of 50.0 is average. My goal is for the team is to be FASTER on field in 2017 and also to leave us in position to resign Odell in future and draft a QB this year, which in my opinion we won’t do if we don’t fix lines in FA.

1. Release Dwayne Harris

Replace him with free agent Coradelle Patterson(PFF rating of 67.2 for 2016). Why? Even though Harris dominates on kick coverage he is mediocre on the depth chart receiver wise. Adding a more explosive option that is younger and can add SPEED(4.39 forty yard dash) to what I feel is an average speed team would be very smart. He is 25 years old, and would fill the need for a bigger(6’2″ 220) wideout in our WR group. I also add FA Marquise Goodwin of Buffalo. He is track fast(4.29 forty) and can catch. Plays specials and as a 5th wideout he is a nice change of pace. Deadly potential on WR screens as well. Please Note: I love Terrell Pryor but I believe Browns overpay to keep him as they have 104 mil in cap room.(not a typo).

2. Allow Hankins to leave as a free agent.

Allow Jonathan Hankins to leave as a free agent. Cut Robert Thomas and replace them with Dontari Poe(PFF rating of 70.5 2016) formerly of Chiefs. 27 years old NT/DT. He is a superior athlete that can get sacks up the middle. He runs a 4.98 forty yard(see my theme here?) dash at 320lbs. He even threw a td pass this year, while getting successful snaps in the goalie ala refrigerator Perry.

3. Release Will Beatty.

Bobby Hart and sign free agent Larry Warford(PFF rating of 82.0 for 2016) to play RG. He is 26 and is the type of fundamentally sound run bully we need inside to rebuild this line to elite status. a stomach of PUGH/WESTBURG/WARFORD would make major alleys to RUN rock in. If Warford signs with Lion, I would add Luke Joekel instead. He played Tackle and Guard and is 25 from the Jags as a Free agent.

4. Release Larry Donnell, Will Johnson, Matt Lacosse.

Release Larry Donnell, Will Johnson, Matt Lacosse and sign Levine Toilolo(PFF rating of 67.6 for 2016) of the ATL falcons to play TE, he is an unrestricted free agent. He showed himself to be a top 12 blocker and even flashed promise as a catcher/red zone threat. The 6’8″ 265lbs Stanford grad is smart, strong and gonna be cheaper than name brand guys while coming from a super bowl appearance. He and Adams would be like twin towers in the redzone at 6’8″ and 6’6″ with Tye giving quality back up minutes…. As a back up plan I also LOVE me some Jack Doyle(PFF rating 76.0) of Indianapolis. 26 year old and blocks like an old school guy, just doesn’t have the overall upside of Levine.

5. Release Leon Hall, Coty Sensabaugh, restructure DRC.

Release Leon Hall, Coty Sensabaugh, restructure DRC to 3.3 mil(instead of 6.8) per plus 1.2 mill upfront(with incentives) which should drop his cap hit by about 2.3 mil and sign free agent Sterling Moore(PFF rating of 72.3), free agent from New Orleans. I don’t know if you remember but this little f&#ker but he gave Odell issues when they met. He is fast and agile and nasty. He can play on the island like he did versus Odell or slot and he tackles. had 44 of them this year with 13 break ups and 2 picks. I see him as depth this year and a starter next year when DRC is unrestricted.

6. Release Marshall Newhouse, and do not resign John Jerry, move Eric Flowers to RT.

Release Marshall Newhouse, and do not resign John Jerry, move Eric Flowers to RT and sign Riley Reiff(PFF rating of 67.5) to play LT. 28 years old free agent from Detroit, he is durable and playing better ever year of his career. He has played on both sides of the line.

7. Release Rashad Jennings, Shane Vareen, Orleans Darkwa, Bobby Rainey.

sign Latavius Murray(PFF rating 72.0), 26 year old free agent from Raiders. He is the every down guy that we need to run inside and outside. With healthy mix of Perkins and whoever we draft, I think this unit could be a strength again. I only cut Vareen because to me he and Perkins similar with regard to role moving forward.

8. Release Trevin Wade, Mykelle Thompson and Nat Behre.

Release Trevin Wade, Mykelle Thompson and Nat Behre and sign free agent Dre Kilpatrick(PFF rating 74.7) from the Bengals. fiesty and long with a rangy style(6’2″) we lack in secondary. He can swing out to FS too in certain packages. 27 years old, he could be a player here for a good long time. Played huge games on island at BAMA. Young and seasoned. 46 tackles 3 picks 10 deflections in 2016 plus he and Landon already brothers from that SEC championship team.

9. Release Kevin Sheppard, JT Thomas.

Release Kevin Sheppard, JT Thomas and sign free agent Linebacker Kevin Minter(PFF rating of 81.0 for 2016). He had 88 tackles 3.5 sacks for Arizona last year and is 26 years old. This LSU player is a homeboy of Odell too having played under Les Myles for the tigers together. He adds SPEED and versatility to a mediocre group. He, Robinson and Kennard would be a solid group. Add in BJ Goodson and whoever we add in draft and we now have guys to cover the ever changing role of the leagues top TEs.

10. Resign JPP. Pay Cruz 15% over the league minimum.

Resign JPP. Pay Cruz 15% over the league minimum with incentives.
If we were to pull this off we could add game changers in draft. When I did the math here(roughly), I found that this is very much possible of us, assuming we don’t pay JPP the way we paid Vernon. We need JPP to take a discount of sorts. If not, I let him walk, promote Romeo Okwara and draft a replacement before end of round three of 2017 Draft.

Please are your thoughts. Thanks for checking me out at Bleedbigblue.com

This post was written by our guest blogger, Dane DBM Henson. Please leave your feedback in the comments section below.

The post 10 Moves To Improve The New York Giants For 2017 first appeared on Bleedbigblue.com.

The New York Giants are now 4-3 and stand in sole possession of 1st place in the NFC East after a much-needed win against the Dallas Cowboys 27-20.

In typical Giants’ fashion, the win against the Cowboys did not come easy and took The replays to secure the last minute victory.

Former cowboy Dwayne Harris scored the go-ahead touchdown with a 100-yard kickoff return, sprinting into the end zone basically untouched.

“This team has grit and scrappiness, this win keeps us in the hunt. To get a kickoff return at that point of the game was really exciting” said head coach Tom Coughlin.

Harris felt that the Giants we overdue for a return.

”We’ve been overdue for a long time, always one block away, one man away. Tonight it was blocked perfect. Anybody could have ran through that, the hole that was made.”

The Giants defense held their own, forcing some key stops including 2 Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie interceptions, returning one 58 yards for a touchdown. The Cowboys o-line was able to create running lanes as they rushed for 233 yards on 41 carries. Stats for defending to run have fallen far off, as the Giants now rank 21st in the league in rushing yards allowed per game.

The G-men will fly down to the Super Dome to face the New Orleans Saints this Sunday @ 12:00 pm. The Saint are 3-4 and coming on a nice win against the Colts. We all hope the Giants can create a winning streak.

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Five Takeaways from Section 123

Watching today’s game was like getting a molar extracted from your mouth. As much as you hoped there would be no pain inevitably it was more painful than you imagined.

Simply there are “5 takeaways” from the disaster.

Wide Receivers
First ODB simply can’t do it all himself. What an impressive catch and run for a touchdown. The wide receivers and tight ends were all but invisible. With the exception of touchdown drive that increased the lead to 20-10 Parker, Donnell, and Randle were basically useless. Too many dropped passes especially late in the game. The offense needs Cruz back and quick.

Special Teams
This kid Harris seems to be something special. Twice he “almost” broke it to go the distance. Unfortunately, he lost his footing. Harris also made a nice play, catching the punt at the Falcons 2 yard line. It was wasted by the defense.

The Running Game
Jennings does not get up field quick enough. Shane Vereen was a pleasant surprise. The Giants need to use him more often and not strictly on 3rd down.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Was having a very solid game until suffering a concussion in what looked like a tough shot to the head. Hopefully he will be back soon Big Blue needs him big time!

Eli Manning
Seemed to be getting into a grove but it all went away quickly. First the fumble deep in Falcons territory was inexcusable. Eli has to put that ball away and get 3 points. Secondly, the delay of game penalty (and almost a second one on consecutive plays) proves their is a disconnect on offense. Those are the times Eli must be elite.

In conclusion the good, the bad and the ugly:
Good- introducing the Super Bowl XXV team at halftime.

Bad- Giants defense unable to stop 3rd down conversions.

Ugly- the penalty on 4th down killing the Giants drive in the 1st half.

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TE Daniel Fells: A player who flew under the radar for the Giants last season, Daniel Fells did not disappoint when called upon. The 32 year-old tight end who was re-signed to a one-year, $950K deal, had three touchdowns on the year which was good for third on the team. Fells was not expected to make the team out of camp last season, but turned into a solid red-zone target for the G-Men. If Larry Donnell struggles with drops out of the gate this season, expect Fells to have a decent role in the offense.

LB JT Thomas: When the Giants pried JT Thomas from the Jacksonville Jaguars this off-season, many fans were scratching their heads at giving a small name linebacker a three-year, $10 million deal (with $4.5M guaranteed). When Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny went down with an injury last season, Thomas stepped up and performed well in his place recording 84 tackles, five passes defended, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. With an aging Jameel McClain and an oft-injured Jon Beason, Thomas will most likely be called upon frequently by the Giants. One of Thomas’s strengths is being able to cover the tight end which the G-Men struggled with mightily last year so look for Thomas to get a plethora of snaps in passing situations.

RB Rashad Jennings: Newly signed Shane Vereen is generating some buzz out of training camp thus far but many are forgetting about Rashad Jennings. Jennings, who signed a four-year, $14 million deal with the Giants last offseason, was a solid runner for the G-Men last year until injuries derailed his season. The highlight of his season was a 176-yard rushing yard performance against the Houston Texans in Week 3, Jennings rushed for a total of 639 yards in 11 games with 4 rushing touchdowns. If healthy, Jennings and Vereen have the potential to be one of the best one-two punches in the NFL this season.

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One of the glaring weaknesses of the 2014 New York Giants was their special teams, so this offseason General Manager Jerry Reese attempted to improve the team in this area. Reese added Cowboys returner Dwayne Harris on five-year deal for $17.5 million including $7.1 million guaranteed, and Patriots linebacker Jonathan Casillas on a three-year $10.5 million-contract.

You may ask yourself, why did the Giants sign two special teamers for such a large amount of money? If you watched the Giants special teams last season you would know the answer. It was frustrating to watch no-name kick returners break multiple tackles against the sheepish Giants tackling. That, and numerous fumbles in the Giants’ return game mad upgrading this unit an off-season priority.

Although Preston Parker wasn’t an awful option in the return game for the Giants last season, he struggled with fumbles. Also, putting star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the return game was a risky option because you don’t want to see your star getting hurt running back kicks. Harris was very good for the Cowboys and is widely considered one of the best at his position. Casillas, captained the Patriots special teams to a Super Bowl last season so hopefully his leadership and experience are solid traits which have been added to the team.

With names such as Dwayne Harris, Jonathan Casillas, Mark Herzlich, Steve Weatherford, Josh Brown, and Zack DeOssie, let’s hope we see a huge improvement in the teams’ special teams.

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Deals are being made left and right as free agency begins and the Giants have made a few quiet but essential acquisitions that I believe can and will improve the team. I’m not a big fan of throwing a ton of money at the marquee free agent each season because the chances of getting a bargain based on the production to cost ratio is highly unlikely when you do that. When you do that a single injury can cripple your team. However if there is a need and a quality player in his prime fits that need, then it makes sense to make a deal.

It would seem that the Giants are thinking along the same lines, I’m not saying a high profile signing is already out of the question. However it appears the current strategy is looking for those quality players that are flying under the radar that will help the team and improve depth. The Giants seem to be taking a cautious approach toward free agency while picking a choosing where opportunity presents itself. There are times in life and NFL free agency seems to be one of those times, where the old saying less is more really seems to make sense. So please do not mistake the lack of a big name signing’s to mean that the Giants have not improved thus far. I would argue sincerely the additions that where made though not spectacular will improve our all-around team and depth for the upcoming year, enabling the Giants to do some things that just didn’t happen last season.

Shane Vereen – Is the best known Free Agent addition mainly for his stellar performance in the Super Bowl, where he caught 11 passes for 64 yards and was a key player in the Patriots victory. He brings to the Giants a receiver out of the backfield we haven’t had since Tiki Barber retired. I think this will give Ben McAdoo’s offense another dimension and keep the defense’s honest and potentially freeing up Cruz and Beckham Jr down the field. His ability to work the screen plays will also affect how much pressure teams will be able to put on Eli. I’m giving this acquisition a 5 star rating for adding depth to our RB position and adding a much needed receiving threat out of the backfield.

Dwayne Harris – This guy is the other acquisition that seems subtle but is likely worth every penny and then some. Harris is coming from Dallas, but we can’t hold that against him, after all he was just honing his skills until he had an opportunity to get on a real team. Seriously though he ranked 13th in the league as a Kick Returner with 24.7 yards and 9th as a Punt Returner with 9.2. This is definitely a void that desperately needed to be filled and Giants fans will all rest easier knowing that Odell Beckham Jr will not have to risk injury returning kicks! He also contributed 10 tackles last season which I’m assuming also came on special teams which would make him a likely candidate for our gunner position which is key for kick-offs and punts. I think if he can duplicate that production on special team, then if he gives us anything as a WR, it will be a nice bonus. I feel this is not out of the question given his obvious heart and toughness he has displayed in Dallas. He seems to be a tough player who should fit nicely and add depth to our WR position.

Some Giants fan may be upset we didn’t get Suh or McCourty but there is no doubt in my mind we are a better team already with the players we added than we were without them and we didn’t have to mortgage the franchise to get them. When you consider we added two backup LB’s and a backup OT giving us some depth where it is much needed. The Giants are quietly having a great off season. I know it’s early and we still have more deals to get done and the Draft coming up where we have to get some more young talent but I can’t help feel that the Giants are playing it smart by not overreacting to the fact that we didn’t make the play-offs. If they continue to make calculated moves such as these there is no doubt the Giants will make the play-offs and compete for another Super Bowl next season.

“Free Agency Frenzy” was written by Guest blogger Shane Momier. Please leave feedback in the comment field below, I would love to know what you think.

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“Grading Out The NY Giants Free Agent Signings So Far” was written by Guest blogger Brian Lazor. Please leave feedback in the comment field below, I would love to know what you think.

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