Kaspers Korner

New York Giants wide receiver Armani Toomer’s time has come to an end with the Giants.  The move by the Giants is the right call considering who his backup is.

Toomer’s backup is Steve Smith and Smith led the team in receiving with 57 catches for 574 and one touchdown.  That is a pretty good year by any means, especially when you are the third option on most plays as Smith was.

Smith is only in his second year as he went to college at the University of Southern California and to start on USC you have to be emensely talented.

Most solid wide receivers breakout statistically in their third year, which is next year for Smith.  With the type of year he had this year it is not unimagineable that Smith breaksout.

Toomer will be 35 in September and has definitely has seen his prime years pass him.  Toomer himself expects a starting role on another team, which will never happen for Toomer.

The New York Giants loss to the Philadelphia Eagles left fans with one glaring conclusion, and that is the Giants need wide receiver Plaxico Burress.  The problem is that Burress has been a pain in the rear from day he signed a contract with the team, which means that the Giants have a huge decision to make.

To make matters worst many teammates have come forward in support of him.  That includes defensive end Justin Tuck who told Dan Patrick in a interview on his radio show that he would like him back as long as he changes.

The thing is these guys do not change, until they are out of a job that is.

The reason being is that the player knows he is that much talented, and some team is going to sign him to a contract.

So, what should the Giants do?  There are plenty of wide receivers that are wanting to be traded, and the two biggest names to ask for a trade is wide receiver Chad Ochocinco of the Cincinnati Bengals, and Anquan Boldin of the Arizona Cardinals.

Also, Bengal wide receiver TJ Housmandzadeh may become a unrestricted free agent, which would mean that they would not have to give up anything to get him.

Once a replacement is found, then the Giants should dump him.

If the Giants cannot find a replacement for him, then they are just going to have to live with him, because talented tall wide receivers do not exactly grow on trees.

The New York Giants dominated the Washington Redskins.  With the win they solidified that there may be no team that can stop them.

The Giants are good at everything, and may not even have a weakness.  The amazing thing about how good they are doing is that they are doing this without a lot of superstars.

Right now they do not have a lot of superstars, and are playing with one less thanks to wide receiver Plaxico Burress shooting himself.

The main reason that the Giants are doing what they are doing is that several young players have stepped into fulltime roles, and at the same time have hit their prime.

Defensively, that player is Justin Tuck.  Tuck last year was the third defensive end behind Michael Strahan, and Osi Umeniyora. 

Now he is the starting left defensive end, and has recorded 11.5 sacks in 12 games.

Offensively, that player is wide receiver Steve Smith. 

Smith has recorded 43 receptions for 424 yards receiving, with one touchdown.  His 43 receptions leads the team, and he has for most of the time been the third wide receiver on the team.

The road to clinching the division title will not be easy though.  As they face the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, and then the Minnesota Vikings.

That is a finish to the season, and as good as they are if they suffer a rash of injuries in these upcoming games, then things will drastically change.

Most of the time when you watch, read, or listen to the news one what is going on in the National Football League, and most of the time it is someone getting arrested.  In thursday nite preseason game New York Giants guard David Diehl showed that there are some real men left in the game.

Diehl in thursday nites game wrote the number 57 on his tape.  The number represented the number 57 of RJ Reynolds high school sophmore Matt Gfeller, who died Sunday August 24th from a injury to his brain.

Diehl learned about the news from his agent Peter Schaffer, who is a close friend of the Gfeller family.

The death shows how violent the game is, and in an instant the game can take away everything from you.

After hearing the news I had a couple of questions that popped in my head.  Did the coaches properly check his helmet when equipment was issued?  Was the helmet to tight?  Was it really a clean hit, according to the News-Record, or was it in the chest, which for some reason people still consider a clean hit.

The one thing that they teach you in modified football, which is seventh and eighth grade, when teaching you how to tackle is head on the ball.  

Most running backs carry it on one hand with their palm on one end, and their elbow on another point holding it close to their side.

There are two reasons for this technique.  First, when the head hits the ball it forces a fumble.   Secondly, it gets players head away from the body, thus preventing spinal cord, and cranial injuries.

I know about head injuries, because I suffered a series of minor concussions playing high school football with too tight of a helmet.  I did not know that, because I skipped two years, because of a back injury.  When I came back for my senior year I forgot what is the proper tightness.

Still, I did not know about that until I suffered a concussion in practice trying to walk to Buffalo State College.  I described my previous symptoms from high school, and confirmed that I suffered a concusion in practice, and minor ones in high school.  Thus, ending my career.

The trainer described a hit like smacking your head concrete.  When wearing too tight of a helmet you are sustaining twice the impact.

In the wake of the Buffalo Bills Kevin Everett and Texans Harry Williams’ spinal cord injury there was already a hieghtend sense of paying more attention to tackling technique.  Now, with Gfeller’s death it is almost assured that there will be more time spent on tackling technique.

Hopefully NFL head coaches will learn this lesson as it seems many of them are becoming a bunch of panty wastes.  The biggest examply of this was thursday night as many teams in their preseason finale kept out their starting defenses and offenses.

The new field turf was suppose to a huge improvement over the old artificial turf.  With New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, tearing his ACL after getting his cleats stuck in the turf, people’s thinking might all change on that.

Already, this year there has been so many knee injuries that one has to question it now.  Even to the likes of superstars now.

I actually have experience with artificial turf.  In my senior year of high school we were able to use the old football stadium for the State University of New York at Buffalo Bulls. 

The old astro turf was essentially plastic carpet.  Which, felt like falling oon concrete.  That would also give cuts constantly to players that are not prepared for it.

The same goes for the new field turf.  It does not matter that it is made with rubber.  It is turf, and there is simply no give in it like grass.

Umenyiora’s injury brings to light that no matter how advanced technology gets there is simply no replacement for mother nature.

Simply, with out Umenyiora the Giants defensive end Justin Tuck will have to pick up the slack.  As well as the Giants offense.

If they do not, then the Giants will find themselves golfing earlier than expected.

Sport Illustrated.com’s Peter King Monday Morning Quarterback Tuesday edition finally gave the full story of the saga that happened between the team, and former tight end Jeremy Shockey.  After reading it one can only conclude that the divorce was soley that of the Giants.

The team dropped the ball completely in regards to Shockey. 

 First, the team made Shockey pay out of his own pocket for his flight to the Superbowl.  While, letting other injured players in New York take the team charter in the middle of the week.

Second, the team put Shockey up in a separate hotel across town from the team.

Finally, the team never told Shockey about the parade.

Holy crap, what is up with all the stupidity coming from teams front offices.  First, Packers general manager Ted Thompson nudge Farve into retirement, second Giants gm Jerry Reese treats Shockey like crap, and then Bills COO Russ Brandons decides to be a twelve year old girl, and not call left tackle Jason Peters, because Peters never called him asking for a new contract.

Seriously, how did these people get these jobs anyways? 

Well now the Giants better hope that tight end Kevin Boss lasts a whole season, because they have nothing behind him.

Only time will tell if  treating Shockey like crap will come to bite them in the rear.

The New York Giants are already dealing with a bad situation between the team and tightend Jeremy Shockey, and wide receiver Plaxico Burress.  Now, the team has to deal with the parole violation that running back Ahmad Bradshaw, and cornerback Geoffrey Pope being arrested for hitting someone with a champagne bottle. 

The news is not good for the Giants as both men are subject to discipline under the Personal Conduct Policy.  How long of a suspension it will be depends on what the NFL finds out about each situation. 

The positive thing is that the two are backups.  That means the team would stll would have a good chance of winning what whatever game the two miss.

What is next for the Giants? Nobody knows that, but whatever it is the team better have a plan to act when something  comes up

Jeremy Shockey has been labeled as a bad locker room teammate, over his complaining that his role with the team is not what it is use to.  After studying Shockey’s statistics, and also doing research, I have concluded that he has a ligitament gripe.

Shockey’s best year came as a rookie in 2002 when he caught 74 catches for 894 yards.  He was on pace to surpass those numbers the follwing year in 2003, but Shockey suffered a season ending injury

He has come close to the 894 yards receiving in 2005, with 891 yards receiving. However, his best total, since his rookie year, has been 66 catches in 2006. In 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006 Shockey has played in 15 games in each season.

The numbers are definately troubling when you look at them.  Athletes get better as time goes on with playing the same position in the same league.  Shockey’s numbers does not reflect that at all, and do not get me wrong i am not saying that Shockey’s play in decline. 

Even if Shockey played the last two game he most likely would of ended with 65 catches on the year again.  The tight ends were shut out in week 16 against the Buffalo Bills.  Then in the season finale tight end Kevin Boss caught four passes. 

Shockey is right, since Giants head coach Tom Coughlin has become the head coach of the team his numbers have droppped, which was even before wide receiver Paxico Burress was signed before the 2005 season.  The drop indicates one thing, and one thing only that being the running game has been used more than passing.

The proof of that is in a former teammates statistics, and that being Tiki Barber.  Before 2004, which was Coughlin’s first year, Barber surpassed 300 rushing attempts once, and that was 2002.  When Coughlin came on Barber had no less than 322 attempts per a year.  That means that at least 20 passing plays per a year is taken away to run the ball.

The fact is that the league is starting to move away from running, because of the abundance of quality wide receivers.  yeah Coughlin had a young quarterback in Eli Manning, but that is no excuse.  If anything the Giants should of been throwing just as much, because of Shockey being the security blanket for Manning in the offense.

Shockey is getting a bum rap for playing for an old school coach that will eventually wear out his welcome with the team.  Playing for a hard nosed in your face coach is tough, especially mentally.  That is due to the name calling that these guys use not like todays coach, which comes up to you pointing out what you did wrong.

In the end Coughlin did win a Superbowl, but this is a what did you do for me lately league, and if Coughlin does not win another Superbowl all this one will be is a fluke.  If he does not he will be fired before his contract runs out, and you know guys like Barber, and Shockey will be sitting there saying I told you so.

After the Super Bowl ended many questioned the futre of Jeremy Shockey with the New York Giants.  Now, that question has evolved into will Shockey go to the New Orleans Saints.

The saga took to another level when World Wide Entertainment’s Jim Ross wrote in his blog that Shockey is going to be traded to the Saints, and is looking foward to playing with them.

The Giants can deny it all they want, but the cat is out of the bag, and trading Shockey is a no brainer for both teams.  The Giants get an extra pick, and the Saints will get another weapon for quarterback Drew Brees.

Now, the question is will the Giants take less than what they offered the Saints, since the cat is out.  It was reported that the Giants told the Saints they want a second round pick, and safety Roman Harper.  With what has been reported the Giants will be lucky to get a second rounder out of the Giants.

The fact if the matter is that the Giants should just take a second rounder for Shockey, and be done with the trade. 

The New York Giants have publicly stated that they are not going to trade tightend Jeremy Shockey.  Thanks to an someone outside of the National Football League they will not be able to get as much for him.

World Wrestling Entertainment announcer Jim Ross in his blog wrote this, “My sources tell me that the New York Giants are going to trade outstanding TE Jeremy Shockey to Bush’s Saints, prior to the NFL draft.  Shockey is an Oklahoma kid from Ada who told me last week he was looking forward to playing for the Saints.”

Even if this is a false rumour the fact that Shockey’s comments leave no doubt that the Giants have to unload Shockey.  He is a real big pain in the butt, and every Giant fan should want to slap him upside the head for what he said.

The Giants now will not be able to get nearly as much as they want as before, and that was they most likely could have gotten a second round pick for Shockey.  Now, the Giants will be lucky to even get a third rounder for him.  The question now is what will the Giants do?

A possibility is that out of spite they could keep Shockey, and use a two tightend sets.  The reason being to teach Shockey a lesson to keep his mouth shut.  It is mosy likely that they will trade him though, because of the emergence of tightend Kevin Boss last year.

In the end it is only now going to get ugly from here on out between Shockey and general manager Jerry Reese.