MVN: Most Valuable Network

The Giants will convene in Albany in a few weeks and although they seemed to have tied up many of their off-season loose ends, there will always be questions that need to be asked......

1. Linebackers - what is the plan should Michael Boley be slow in recovering from hip surgery?

Boley's recovery time frame is 8-10 weeks. The clock is one week in motion on this already so if you do the math, Boley will not be on the field opening day. The Giants will most likely be forced to put Boley on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list, which will preserve a roster spot for someone else.

The reality is that he will probably need to rehab past that 8-10 weeks. We've seen baseball players make it back within the time frame but football is different. It's obviously more demanding. The thought here is that he might go from PUP to IR, meaning he's lost until week 9.

In the interim, the Giants will have to hope to get production out of either one or more from the group of Gerris Wilkerson, Bryan Kehl and Chase Blackburn. Not the worst of scenarios, but certainly not Plan A, that's for sure.

2. Travis Beckum - how will he be used?

Right now, the H-back is in the offense, although Kevin Gilbride has avoided many questions about its utilization. It is what they are calling it for now. Beckum did not get a full mini camp in because of a hamstring injury and Gilbride still does not know what role Beckum will play.

The H-back is a limited formation and the Giants do not want to use it just to get Beckum on the field. Gilbride referred to the Colts' B-back situation with Dallas Clark as being a possible role for Beckum.

The downside of using an H-back or B-back is that they take the place of the fullback. Most teams do not have a solid fullback like the Giants do in Madison Hedgecock. By going to this type of formation, the Giants will limit their options plus lose the aggressiveness that Hedgecock brings to the offense, especially in the running game.

Also, by lining Beckum up in the backfield, they will be advertising 'pass'. The defense will usually sniff out - and snuff out- that play.

The thought here is that Beckum will not be used as an H or B-back. He will be a slot receiver. The Giants need to get big bodies into opposing secondaries and that is where Beckum will be able to assist. He is not a traditional, full-service TE so he's best suited as a receiver.

3. Eli's contract - when will he sign - and for how much?

Eli Manning isn't talking contract and neither are the Giants. Everyone knows it is a foregone conclusion that he will sign back with the team rather than wait until he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

Money does not motivate Eli and he doesn't have a shark like Drew Rosenhaus whispering bad advice in his ear. The Giants will move quickly to close the window to put an end to the speculation. By the end of camp, this thing might be all done, even if conventional thinking is telling both sides to wait for a new CBA.

Eli's current salary is $9.4 million. The new contract will probably be for seven years at $15 mil per year. The completed deal may end up being worth about $120 million. The contract would keep Eli in blue until age 35.

2. Wide Receivers - who will start?

Currently Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith are the starters. Sinorice Moss is the third receiver with Mario Manningham getting some serious consideration.

It's early and the Giants do not want to pencil in or annoint an unsigned player (Hakeem Nicks) as a starter to prolong or complicate his signing. It is beleived that Nicks will be a starter at some point early on and his rookie teammate, Ramses Barden, will get lots of playing time as well.

Hixon is more valuable on special teams and if Moss gets hurt one more time, he's going to plummet down the depth chart. That leaves Smith, Manningham, Nicks, Barden and David Tyree in the main offense. Of course, Hixon will be used often early on in the season to smooth over the transition.

Don't forget Travis Beckum's role may end up being more in the WR group than in the TE group.

The starters will end up being Smith and Nicks.

1. What are the expectations for the Giants this season?

The Super Bowl is not an unrealistic goal. They could have made it last season. We've covered that ad nauseum, so lets move on.....

The defense has been bolstered up front and the secondary is young and hungry. Only the linebackers pose questions - as as illustrated above not many.

The offense is finally devoid of ballhogs and characters. A new receiving corp to go with a solid line, good TEs and a maturing QB spells big things for NYG.

The prediction is 11-5 which gets them a wild card. The Eagles will be the favorites and finally live up to it with a 13-3 record. The Giants will have to deal with Philly in the playoffs. Keep in mind the Eagles do not fare well as favorites..

Big Blue's Presence Could End Stalemate The last place any non-elected New Yorker wants to go these days is Albany, the capital of the great Empire State, which is in the throes of one of the most chaotic periods of political unrest in the state's history. But, that is where the New York Football Giants, their entourage and their accompanying media pool will be heading in a few weeks. The state senate is in a hopeless deadlock which has virtually shut the government down during a session that has massive tax, education, labor, health and budget bills waiting to be acted upon. The story up there these days is another one of those that you just cannot make up. The Democrats had a majority until a few weeks ago when two of their senators switched allegiances to the Republicans.  They deposed the sitting speaker and claimed their coup was... Read more

Weakside linebacker Michael Boley, one of the Giants major offseason acquisitions who was supposed to be an immdiate impact player on the Giants defense, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his hip today to repair a torn hip labrum. He will miss somewhere between 8-12 weeks, and may not be able to return by the regular season opener against the Redskins. The Giants currently list Gerris Wilkinson as the starter on the weakside, but we all know about Wilkinson's injury history and lack of production when healthy. I personally would rather see second year linebacker Bryan Kehl in the starting lineup for the opener if Boley cannot go.  Kehl was impressive last season and I only expect him to improve with a full offseason under his belt.  I am on vacation for a few weeks, enjoying the beach and some cold drinks, but wanted to provide you all with a quick update. Be... Read more

Commissioner Should Be Given Power To Terminate Players, Not Just Suspend Them The NFL is an enterprise that has an estimated yearly revenue of $6 Billion. The owners of the 32 franchises that make up the league are some of America's wealthiest and most prestigious captains of industry. The Commissioner, 50-year-old Roger Goodell., who was voted to the top spot in 2006 upon Paul Tagliabue's retirement, has inherited a burgeoning business that is oozing with complicated issues, primarily an impending labor fight over the expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement. Goodell will have to mediate between the owners - who opted out of the CBS two years early - and the players union - who are being led by a new director, DeMaurice Smith, who has vowed to put up a valiant fight. Other issues Goodell has had to table are the future of the beleaguered NFL Network, which has yet to... Read more

Jason Cole of YaHoo! Sports caught up with GM Jerry Reese today. Reese doesn't seem to be too concerned about not having a #1 receiver. "Lots of teams don't have one" he told Cole. READ Timex has been granted naming rights to the new practice facility...READ As for the new stadium itself, the Giants and Jets have still not found the right match...READPat Traina provides a blow-by-blow of Day Two at Mini Camp......READ... Read more

The Giants held their first day of mini camp today at their new facility adjacent to Giants Stadium.Some quick hits....Everyone was there - not everyone practiced fully. The team is still keeping an eye on Osi Umenyiora, who is coming off knee surgery.  Osi said in an interview the team should have won Super Bowl without him last year and that getting back to the big game is the team's goal again this year.Brandon Jacobs said that having Osi back is "like having another first round draft pick." Coach Coughlin continues to praise the efforts of two wideouts - Mario Manningham and Sinorice Moss.  Both are looking like they are possessed.  Manningham and Moss were returning kicks and punts along with Domenik Hixon and Ahmad Bradshaw.for more info visit insidefootball.com... Read more

This one somehow got deleted.......I'm re-posting for posterityGood and Bad, but Not UglyThe Giants' 2009 schedule bears much similarity to their 2008 schedule. There are a few differences--some welcome, some not. The GoodThe BYE week was in Week Five last year. This year it is during Week 10, giving the team a much-needed strategic break later in the season.No jet lag this season: The furthest road opponent geographically is Denver (on Thanksgiving Night).Between Oct. 25 and Nov. 22, the Giants have only one road game, and that is in Philadelphia (Nov. 1). The BadEven though the Giants are scheduled to play in the Eastern time zone 11 times, only seven of those games are slated as 1:00 pm Sunday starts. The flex schedule kicks in beginning Week 13 and two of those games (vs. Carolina; at Minnesota) may be changed to later times if needed.The Giants are on the road... Read more

Not much happening....... As you know coach Tom Coughlin will be joining some other current and former coaches on a trip to Iraq later this month. Coughlin holds the military in high regard and is involved with many charities and fundraisers for members and families of the armed services.... The beat writers have been digging around the past few days....here's a few nuggets.. NY Post - Paul Schwartz interviewed LB Michael Boley.......readNewsday's Tom Rock on WR Steve Smith...........readThe Daily News' Tim Smith says RB Brandon Jacobs wants to get into Boxing promotion.....readMichael Eisen of Giants.com is reporting that WR Hakeem Nicks is throwing out the first pitch at tonight's Mets-Phillies game at Citi Field.....readMike Garafolo on Jesse Armstead opening a car dealership in NJ.....readPat Traina says Guy Whimper's days may be numbered.......read... Read more

Brady, Pats Seek to Avenge XLII Loss Is it too early to write an article like this? Of course it is.  Before you read this, assume you are a jury an I am the judge and I just instructed you to apply facts - not emotion - to your verdict. The best team in the AFC is the New England Patriots. The best team in the NFC is the New York Giants. Should everything hold true to form, these two clubs will meet in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami on February 7th, 2010. New England The plain truth is the Patriots have been accused of many things (and rightfully so), which has led to most non-Patriot fans despising them like some kind of movie villains. That doesn't change the fact that they won 10 games without the best player in football - QB Tom Brady - last season. Brady's comeback... Read more

1. Eli Synchronizing Nicely With ReceiversLike we said, all the divas are gone and Eli is the boss. Every one's here, ready to listen, ready to learn and ready to work. The new facility has opened up the practices to the deep passing routes and the receiving corp is really strutting their stuff. Eli is also enjoying (and benefiting from) the expanded space.2. Osi In Great ShapeOsi Umenyiora appears to be ready to go after missing all of 2008 with a knee injury. He has a little soreness after extended workouts, but that's to be expected. Osi also has been working out hard this past winter which is evident by his new, buff overall physique. 3. Tom Coughlin Is Calm and ConfidentHe may be the NFL's oldest coach, but you'd never know it. He's got more energy than men half his age. The 62-year-old Coughlin has become more confident in... Read more

New Facility Will Help Open Up Passing GameAccording to Paul Schwartz of The Post, the new training facility will help the Giants' deep passing game. The old 'bubble' was only 55-yards long and quarters were cramped. Receivers were relegated to shorter routes and had to slow up near the goal for fear of running into the back wall. The roof was also too low for the quarterbacks to fully unleash deep passes. As a result the Giants could not practice many deep routes.The new space has 3 full-length football fields and so far Eli Manning, David Carr and Andre Woodson have been airing it our with impunity. In addition, Sinorice Moss has begun to look like the player the team though he could be - he's been flying. So has Mario Manningham. Ramses Barden has shown more speed than than scouts had originally given him credit for. It appears he's... Read more