DON'T CRY FOR JERRY AND THE GIANTS

[RoanokeFan]

DON'T CRY FOR JERRY AND THE GIANTS (http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/7748238/new-york-giants-brandon-jacobs-mario-manningham-departures-faze-big-blue)

"The <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/sf/san-francisco-49ers">San
Francisco 49ers</a> have poached two key members of the <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyg/new-york-giants">New York
Giants</a>' offense and signed Mario Manningham (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11329/mario-manningham) and Brandon Jacobs (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/8524/brandon-jacobs).


Some sentimental Giants fans may be doing their best Boyz II Men impression
and singing "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday." And Tom Coughlin
understands how these fans feel even if Jacobs and Manningham were always
expected to end up elsewhere ever since the Giants beat the Patriots in Super
Bowl XLVI.
</p>

"There is some sentiment involved in it," Coughlin told reporters on
Wednesday at the league meetings prior to the news that Jacobs had joined
Manningham in San Francisco. "But we don't say goodbye. We say, 'Next
time.'"</p>


It may be hard to say goodbye to name-brand pieces that helped win a Super
Bowl, but it's certainly not the "End of the Road" for the Giants as the world
champions still have the core of the team intact. And Jerry Reese has his eyes
set on keeping that young, talented core together for years to come. </p>


Losing Jacobs -- who was released for financial reasons -- Manningham and
cornerback Aaron Ross (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10464/aaron-ross) while being conservative in free
agency might irritate some anxious fans who want to see the Giants add a stud
running back or middle linebacker.</p>


But Reese always has a plan and there's always a reason why the Giants are
not going be as active shoppers as some would like. Just remember last summer
and how it felt like it was the end of the world when Kevin Boss (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10596/kevin-boss) and Steve Smith (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10495/steve-smith) left in free agency, Shaun
O'Hara and Rich Seubert (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2885/rich-seubert) were released, and the Eagles
were on a spending spree as if they had just won the Mega Millions jackpot. </p>


Reese said he believed the Giants had enough roster pieces and unknowns who
could step up. And of course the end result was another Lombardi Trophy. And
he's delivering the same message again this week.</p>


"The salary cap rules the world," Reese said in an interview with SiriusXM
NFL radio on Monday. "If you have a lot of good players, you just can't retain
them all. We feel like we have some players on the roster that can come in and
step up."</p>


So far in free agency, the Giants have lost their No. 3 wide receiver, No. 3
cornerback and special teams contributor Devin Thomas (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11268/devin-thomas). And now Jacobs has moved on to
San Francisco.</p>


Meanwhile, their biggest moves have been re-signing cornerback Terrell Thomas (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11297/terrell-thomas) and punter Steve Weatherford (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10127/steve-weatherford) while adding former
Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11295/martellus-bennett).</p>

Yes, Manningham came up with the unforgettable sideline catch in Indianapolis
and also had the big touchdown against the Niners. He often made difficult
catches look easy but also was capable of making routine ones difficult with
drops or by drifting out of bounds. He was a weapon for Eli Manning (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/5526/eli-manning) but ultimately a luxury with Hakeem Nicks (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12586/hakeem-nicks) and Victor Cruz (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13553/victor-cruz) ahead of him on the depth chart.
There was no way for Reese to pay three wide receivers since he will have to
find a way to compensate Nicks and Cruz eventually. And Manningham wanted to go
to a team where he could see plenty of targets.</p>


The Giants are as good as any at developing their own talent. They were able
to fill the third wide receiver void last year with Cruz, who surpassed
Manningham on the depth chart, and that was without a full offseason of coaching
and training due to the lockout. Let's see what Manning can do after a full
offseason to work with former third-round picks Jerrel Jernigan (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14040/jerrel-jernigan) and Ramses Barden (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12555/ramses-barden).</p>


As far as who Manning will hand off to besides Ahmad Bradshaw (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10693/ahmad-bradshaw), the Giants may miss Jacobs
more from an emotional standpoint. Jacobs' production has steadily slipped in
the past three seasons and the 6-4, 264-pound running back isn't as physical as
he was when he unforgettably flattened Redskins safety LaRon Landry (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10451/laron-landry) years ago.</p>


At times he could be difficult and clash with fans and reporters while being
frustrated with his role. But he helped the Giants win two Super Bowls and was a
nice insurance plan whenever Bradshaw's feet flared up. And not to be
underestimated was his emotional influence on the team. He delivers passionate
and emotional messages to teammates on the field before games and can provide a
spark and add a swagger with just a couple of broken tackles.</p>


But the Giants weren't going to pay for a backup running back who will turn
30 in July. They could sign another veteran on the cheap, draft a running back
or perhaps make a trade if the price is right. They have D.J. Ware (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10768/dj-ware), promising speedster Da'Rel Scott
and Andre Brown (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12490/andre-brown) behind Bradshaw, but Coughlin
has said he would like to stick to the formula of having a big power back to
pair with Bradshaw.</p>


"There's a hallmark that we stick to by position," Coughlin said in February
at the NFL scouting combine when asked about potentially losing Jacobs. "Brandon
is very rare, very rare. We would stick to what's been good for the Giants."</p>


Ross, who signed with Jacksonville last week, also helped the Giants win two
Super Bowls and stepped in as a starter when Thomas went down last season. But
the Giants have Corey Webster (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/8457/corey-webster), Thomas and last year's
first-round pick, Prince Amukamara (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13975/prince-amukamara).</p>


It's never easy to see members of a Super Bowl roster leave less than two
months after the confetti came down. And there will be more popular role players
who will be leaving shortly in free agency as well. </p>


All Giants fans can do is thank them for the memories and trust in the
Giants' way, which is to let Reese retool in the draft and watch Coughlin and
the coaching staff develop their homegrown talent."</p>


</p>

[GameTime]

thanks Ro....</P>


while losing players who have been with the team for a while is a bummer its also exciting to see what the new blood will bring. </P>

[RoanokeFan]

thanks Ro....</p>


while losing players who have been with the team for a while is a bummer its also exciting to see what the new blood will bring. </p>

Everyone needs a chance to step up. I have to admit sometimes I think we wait too long (Moss, Barden) but overall it works pretty well.

[THE_New_York_Giants]

If we can win a SB the year after Tiki leaves, we can win one the year after BJ leaves

[dezzzR]

Cant beat em, Sign them!

[nygsb42champs]

As fans we are putting our faith in JR again.

[bigjeep]

Its called free agency. With a hard cap, players will move on. You have to try and hold on to your core players. Cruz will want money. Osi wants more money. Nicks needs more money. JJP needs to be signed long term. Mario and Jacobs are expendable a long with a few others. Got to deal with it.

[Kruunch]

thanks Ro....</P>


while losing players who have been with the team for a while is a bummer its also exciting to see what the new blood will bring. </P>

+1

TBH I think we lost more last year then this year.

Ross, MM and BJ were expected losses and we can go forward with potentially better additions to the team.

[GiantLife615]

It is absolutely impossible to second guess the front office. Its def hard to lose certain guys though.

[Captain Chaos]

I anyone was surprised by these three signing elsewhere, you weren't paying attention. Sad to see Thomas go as well, but he is looking for a place that will utilize him as a receiver...</P>


We will be fine, always a challenge when we lose tallented players.</P>

[miked1958]

Cant beat em, Sign them!

What will Great is when we still beat them with our two players. Harbough was mad last year so he will be even worse next yr

[Cruz 4 Prez]

thanks Ro....</p>


while losing players who have been with the team for a while is a bummer its also exciting to see what the new blood will bring. </p>

Everyone needs a chance to step up.* I have to admit sometimes I think we wait too long (Moss, Barden) but overall it works pretty well.

Yeah, I can't wait to see how Jernigan plays with an actual offseason

[Toadofsteel]

I'm expecting Jernigan to break out with a full offseason this year, so the MM loss doesn't concern me as much.


Losing Ross doesn't bother me much either due to Prince coming into his own (Every time he came in, the commentators said "expect [opposing QB] to exploit this matchup"). And he never let up. He's a first round pick for a reason, and he's not a bust either.


Tolly is under the depth chart after Tuck, JPP, and Osi. Kiwi would be above him too if he wasn't transitioned to linebacker. Not much of a loss there, though dont be surprised to see a DE get drafted in 2012. I like the FO's philosophy of "you can't have too many defensive linemen"


The only one that concerns me is BJ. Yes, we have great potential at RB. And we've proven in the past that the platoon system works (remember Earth Wind and Fire?). I could see a setup where Bradshaw, Scott, Ware, and Brown all split carries. We could call it the Beatles: Bradshaw is Lennon, Scott is McCartney, Ware is George, and Brown is Ringo (Get it... he got a ring! LOL). But the loss of BJ is still tough.


(While we're at it, the pass rush package we have can become Led Zeppelin: Tuck is Jimmy Page, Osi is Robert Plant, Kiwi is John Bonham, and JPP is... JPJ.)

[FroZeNx31x]

After watching more of Jernigan's college highlights I think he's going to be a great player for us.

[Toadofsteel]

After watching more of Jernigan's college highlights I think he's going to be a great player for us.

Remember how Cruz jerseys were so hard to find that people just wrote CRUZ over their old Shockey jerseys? Expect people to do the same to Steve Smith jerseys in 2012...

[Toadofsteel]

After watching more of Jernigan's college highlights I think he's going to be a great player for us.

Remember how Cruz jerseys were so hard to find that people just wrote CRUZ over their old Shockey jerseys? Expect people to do the same to Steve Smith jerseys in 2012...

[GIANTfaninFL]

Its called free agency. With a hard cap, players will move on. You have to try and hold on to your core players. Cruz will want money. Osi wants more money. Nicks needs more money. JJP needs to be signed long term. Mario and Jacobs are expendable a long with a few others. Got to deal with it.
THIS

[giantman8493]

After watching more of Jernigan's college highlights I think he's going to be a great player for us.

Remember how Cruz jerseys were so hard to find that people just wrote CRUZ over their old Shockey jerseys? Expect people to do the same to Steve Smith jerseys in 2012... Lol i did that with barber and phillips.