I really hope JR takes care of Nicks and Cruz this offseason

[gmen0820]

This duo is LETHAL. Cruz shouldered most of the load this year by himself, and I think he did enough to suggest he can be a #1 receiver in this league. Nicks, top 10 receiver when healthy. Unfortunately, he misses a couple games every year. I don't think that's enough to not resign this guy. If anything, now is the time to extend that contract, after his first poor year as a Giant.

[Buddy333]

The only problem is how much do you give Nicks? When healthy he s great. He problem is he has yet to last an entire season without missing some games and he will only get older and and heal slower as injuries mount up.

[gmen0820]

The only problem is how much do you give Nicks? When healthy he s great. He problem is he has yet to last an entire season without missing some games and he will only get older and and heal slower as injuries mount up.

4-6 million per year would be a steal.

[Buddy333]

How much for Cruz?

[gmen0820]

How much for Cruz?

Don't know if I personally would do a long-term deal with Cruz just yet. I was pleasantly surprised with how Cruz responded to the added weight this year (despite the recent slump), but I wouldn't mind giving him a two year deal at a moderate salary. If I recall, we can slap him with a restricted tag for the next two years, but that's disrespectful to a very classy Giant. 5 mil per year over 2-3 years is much more reasonable than tagging him. Cruz really doesn't have much leverage, though.

[gmen0820]

The only thing that sucks about this whole predicament is that NY really isn't in position (cap or success wise) to just start handing out bonuses.

[Buddy333]

Who can they cut without hurting their cap number this year? They may need to take a step back this year to rebuild.

[Marvelousmik]

i am probably one of the few giant fans who isnt a huge fan of nicks. The way i feel about nicks at the moment is the same way i felt about steve smith when he was here. he is good, but he is a bit overrated. If we can keep him cool. if we cant, it wouldnt really bother me to see him go. Cruz is the real deal.

[gmen0820]

Who can they cut without hurting their cap number this year? They may need to take a step back this year to rebuild.

They don't necessarily have to take a step back. If they cut someone, it's because they are no good. Cutting guys like Boley really isn't "taking a step back", especially if we can draft effectively to replace those guys. Webster, Tuck, Diehl etc. same story. I mean you're not gonna save much off the cap, but nonetheless, you do save some. But that's really if the Giants actually do feel they are done.

Cutting Rolle or Canty on the other hand, that's taking a step back. Rolle's absence would resonate not only on the field -- but in the locker room.

It's gonna come down to making savvy, under-the-radar, moves in free agency, and having a solid draft with at least a couple picks that are able to start day one. Offensively, we have talented players.

Eli: Franchise QB. That's critical, because our margin for error is that much higher.

Cruz/Nicks/Randle/Hixon/Jernigan: That's a lot of proven talent, with a lot of upside as well.

Wilson: He'll be in his second year, so we should see him get more than a carry a game. He's definitely trending upwards.

OL: Okay, area of need. Needs addressing for sure.

Defensively, we are somewhat in the same boat.

DL: JPP is a blue-chip player. He is the cornerstone of our defense, and the type of talent you build a defense around. Canty/Joseph are a very solid tandem, but they NEED depth at the position, because Austin is a bust.

LBers: Williams regressed, but he's still a promising player. This group needs addressing though, because Boley is probably a goner, and Blackburn is really just a stop gap/depth player.

Secondary: KP is a guy who should be brought back with a low risk deal, Rolle is a solid safety and an emotional leader, Stevie looks like a keeper. Amukamara and Hosley are promising players as well.

[gmen0820]

i am probably one of the few giant fans who isnt a huge fan of nicks. The way i feel about nicks at the moment is the same way i felt about steve smith when he was here. he is good, but he is a bit overrated. If we can keep him cool. if we cant, it wouldnt really bother me to see him go. Cruz is the real deal.

I see where you're coming from, but I disagree. I'm a huge Nicks fan. From when he was young, he was just such a savvy player. His route running was excellent, disguised his routes well, and always possessed veteran moves (Bears game on MNF in 2010 really caught my attention).

Only problem I've had with Nicks is that his over-the-shoulder skills really don't impress me. I just feel like he drops a lot of passes when he tries to go over the shoulder.

Anyway, I think if he came at a reasonable price, he'd be one helluva steal for us, just like he was at the end of the first round.