New York Giants sign Peyton Hillis

The New York Giants are desperate for a running back. Peyton Hillis wants to resurrect his career. Today Hillis and the Giants made their marriage official.

Hillis was signed Wednesday after a five man tryout. The Giants are hoping he can be as productive as he was when he rushed for 1,177 yards in 2010 for the Cleveland Browns. Hillis is hoping that he gets a chance to show that he still has something left after stints in Cleveland, Kansas City, and Tampa Bay.

 "I firmly believe I never had too much of an opportunity after I left Cleveland," Hillis said. "I was behind Jamaal Charles at Kansas City. I didn't get too much playing time. I felt when I got in I did well. And then I was in Tampa and never really got to touch the field because of Doug Martin. He's pretty good."

The Giants currently have Brandon Jacobs as their feature back and seventh round pick Michael Cox on the roster. David Wilson is also there but he won't be available for another three weeks.

Hillis views this as a second chance of sorts. He knows he won't be featured but with the Giants woes in the backfield he could have his number called quite a bit this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

 "I'm coming in with an open heart and open mind," Hillis said, "and I'm looking to do whatever the coaching staff needs me to do to help this team win."

Giants' David Wilson won't have season ending neck surgery

New York Giants running back David Wilson injured his neck in week 5 this season and many feared that he would be out for the rest of the season.

A report has surfaced that Wilson won't need season ending neck surgery and could possibly be back this season.

Dr. Robert Watkins, a spinal surgeon in Los Angeles, says that Wilson won't have to undergo surgery for his neck. Although Wilson was optimistic about playing in Week 7,reports say the tailback still is expected to miss three to four weeks with the injury.

That's great news for Wilson and his career as he doesn't have any spinal issues which could've ended his playing days.

Meanwhile the Giants will forge ahead with Brandon Jacobs as their feature back. Reports say the team will work out former Madden cover boy Peyton Hillis.

With the Giants being 0-6 and on the verge of a lost season I don't know if Wilson should be in such a hurry to come back.

Redskins GM Bruce Allen calls the NFC East the 'SEC of the NFL'

The NFC East has probably been the most competitive division in the NFL since the mid 1980's. There might have been a few to come close but none that come to mind immediately. Bill Parcells, Joe Gibbs, Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, Andy Reid and Buddy Ryan had a lot to do with that run of excellence.  

Maybe that's why Washington Redskins general manager Bruce Allen  called the division the 'SEC of the NFL. During a recent interview with Chris Russell and Rich Campbell on ESPN 980, Allen explained why the NFC East has always been the top division in the league.

“There’s so many changes in the playoff teams each year — I think half of them change each year anyway,” the GM noted. “And in our division, you know, we’re in the SEC of the NFL. This is the big leagues. I think when the Giants last won the Super Bowl, they won it with a 9-7 record. So we have to keep competing in our division, and that’s what our focus is.

“And if we can hold our ground in the division, we’re going to be ok, because they are elite teams in our division,” Allen continue. “That’s where our focus has to remain. We were successful [last year] — 5-1 in the division — and that leads to good things. I think once again the young talent that we have on the team, they tasted success. As long as they’re not spoiled by that little bit of success, then it bodes well for our future.”

Sounds like SEC-speak to me. But Allen's words do ring true. You win the division, you get in the playoffs. From that point on anything can happen. Save for Donovan McNabb's meltdowns in NFC title games and the Dallas Cowboys not being able to win a playoff game in forever, the division has done well for itself in the playoffs.

Giants' receiver Victor Cruz not a fan of the revamped Pro Bowl

The NFL decided to add a new wrinkle to their useless All-Star game, known as the Pro Bowl.

The AFC vs. NFC format is no longer in place. The NFL took a page from the NHL's playbook and will have teams chosen by team captains, with Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders being honorary captains . Fan voting will determine the draft pool.

Additional changes also included: The NFL also said it is having a two-minute warning at the end of the first and third quarters and possession will change at the end of every quarter, giving fans more opportunities to watch teams play in the two-minute drill. There are also a few other changes, such as kickoffs being eliminated, zone coverage by defensive backs being allowed and a shorter play clock.

There haven't been too many known player reactions to the changes but New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz isn't a big fan of it.

"Not the biggest fan of it to be honest with you," Cruz said, via the New York Daily News. "But you know, they're trying to make the Pro Bowl fun again, and I respect it. I like Jerry [Rice] and Deion [Sanders] so it should be some fun interaction between those guys. But it's all good. I'm just worried about doing what I have to on the field. And the Pro Bowl and everything will take care of itself."

Cruz and most of America seem to be in lockstep on this opinion.

Personally I'm with 99% of the NFL fans who are in violent agreement: get rid of the Pro Bowl already!  It's a stupid, no-meaning game designed to make money through entertainment.  It has nothing to do with the serious game of football.  It's just a huge blemish, weighing down a popular sport like an anchor.

Colts' Dwayne Allen "can't stand the draft"

Every player eligible for the NFL Draft just wants to hear his name called and be given a chance to compete at the highest level of their sport. While some will consider it a dream no matter where they're drafted, some will come in with a chip on their shoulder due to where they were drafted at.

Indianapolis Colts tight end Dwayne Allen falls into the latter category. Allen was an All American tight end at Clemson and was the winner of the John Mackey Award which is given to college football's top tight end. The draft advisory panel gave him a first round grade, but when the draft rolled around he ended being picked in the third round. Allen wasn't too pleased with his draft experience.


“I want to say congratulations to all those guys whose dreams are going to come true,” Allen said of the 254 players who will be drafted. “But I won’t be watching.



“I can’t stand the draft.”

The Colts passed on Allen early in the second round when they selected quarterback Andrew Luck's college teammate Coby Fleener. He thought the Carolina Panthers would take him with their second round pick and the Panthers chose Midwestern State guard Amini Silatolu.

“A guy I had never heard of,” Allen said of the selection.

As the second round came and went Allen grew more upset.


Allen’s phone came to life. His eyes widened.

“Hold on for Mr. Irsay,’’ the voice at the other end said. “I was like, ‘(expletive) it’s the Colts,’ ” he said. “(Owner Jim Irsay) gets on and said, ‘Hey, Dwayne, we’re going to take you with the next pick. We’re excited to have you. Hold on for coach Pagano.’

“Coach starts talking to me and the entire time I’m emotionless. I was more pissed than anything else.”

Allen knew that he lost a few million dollars on his rookie contract so that explained why he was so upset. Not how most prospects watching the draft are thinking.

“You’re just watching as that money goes away,” Allen said. “You’ve never had it, but that doesn’t stop you from thinking, ‘Man, I’m losing money.’

Allen did admit to being kind of a jerk to Colts coaches and after thinking about it he realized that he was more fortunate than others and gave a call to tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts to apologize.

 “I apologized for my rudeness,” Allen said. “I told him I was ready to get to work and this was going to be the best pick you’ve ever made.

“It took me time to calm down and realize how much of a blessing it was just to get that phone call. How many guys are sitting at home and their phones didn’t ring?” 


    
Good thing that Allen did turn out to be the better than Fleener, but Allen is also lucky that the Colts didn't take his bad attitude personally when they called. If he can outperform his contract he'll end up making that money back and more.

Former NFL player, Marcus Buckley, charged with insurance fraud

Former NewYork Giants linebacker Marcus Buckley has been charged with a scheme to defraud an insurance company of $1.5 million.  


The U.S. attorney's office said Friday that 42-year-old Marcus Buckley, who played seven seasons for the New York Giants, has been charged with wire fraud and money laundering. Buckley, of Weatherford, Texas, is accused of filing false worker's compensation claims for football-related stress injuries.

Also charged is Kimberly Jones, a claims adjuster formerly of West Sacramento who conspired with Buckley. Jones worked for Gallagher Bassett Services Inc., which handled worker's comp claims against the Giants.

The U.S. attorney says Buckley received more than $1,588,000 to which he was not entitled.

Buckley was a third round pick from Texas A&M in 1993 and spent seven years with the Giants. Buckley is scheduled to appear in court within the next two weeks.

Joe Flacco to portray Johnny Unitas in upcoming movie

Joe Flacco became the highest paid NFL player and was the Super Bowl MVP. Flacco now will portray Baltimore Colts legend Johnny Unitas in a movie about Unitas' life. 

Joe Unitas told The Baltimore Sun that Flacco will play his father playing football in the final scenes depicting the Colts' 1958 championship game victory in "Unitas We Stand" .

Filming is scheduled to begin July 15 and is expected to last around nine to 12 weeks. Ideally, Unitas would like to release the movie timing it to the Super Bowl next year. Unitas said having someone with Baltimore ties play his father was important. Flacco said that he was honored to play the role of Unitas. Joe also hopes to film the entire movie in Baltimore.

"He does things the right way and is a good role model for kids and he gets what hard work is and does everything he can for the team. There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between Joe and my dad. My production team is very fortunate and thankful that he's dedicated to help us and play my dad. I know he doesn't do a lot of things away from the game, and football players' time off in the offseason is very valuable. For him to take time away and commit to doing this is very humbling."

The movie is based on Tom Callahan's best-selling book: "Johnny U: The Life and Times of Johnny Unitas."

Giants' Ramses Barden feels it's best to move on

There comes a time in someone's career where it's best for a team and a player to part ways. It's happened with the Detroit Lions and Titus Young, but that was a situation where the Lions had no choice but to cut him loose. New York Giants receiver Ramses Barden feels that he needs to move on and get a fresh start in his career.

The Giants drafted the Cal Poly product in the third round of the NFL draft in 2009. He was thought of as a sleeper pick. Barden has good size (6-6) and decent speed, but it never translated to success on the field. He had a few moments (caught nine passes for 138 yards in a win over Carolina), but not enough for the Giants to make him a priority in free agency. Barden knows it's time to find an opportunity elsewhere.

“I’m really seriously kind of excited for the offseason, because as much fun as I’ve had in New York — and yeah, I’m comfortable there — it’s probably best for me to start looking other places for a new system, for a refreshed sense of welcoming,” Barden said. “I think everybody can benefit from newness in their lives. This is going to be one of those for me.”

Maybe Barden will go somewhere and finally breakthrough. The potential is there and maybe he just didn't fit the Giants' system. He did get stuck behind some good receivers (Nicks, Rueben Randle, Victor Cruz). Maybe he goes somewhere and gets a sufficient amount of playing time to prove himself.

If it doesn't work out for him then it never will.

Toomer says Romo is better than Eli

Despite winning his second Super Bowl, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning still has his detractors. If you ask some fans, they would call Manning the equivalent of a hot goalie.

Former Giants receiver, Amani Toomer, might have said a few things that might serve as motivation for Manning this upcoming season. On the Sirius XM NFL show, Movin' the Chains, which Toomer co-hosts, he said that he prefers Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo, over Manning.        

“Tony Romo is probably, if you look at it statistically, he’s probably the best quarterback in the NFC East,” Toomer said.  “You look at Eli Manning and what he does in the fourth quarter, but you talk about consistency, talking about 31 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions, that guy can play.”


“For me, if I wanted a guy that is going to throw less interceptions, (be) more productive, higher completion percentage, I'm going to go with Tony Romo. At crunch time, he's not as good as Eli, but every other time, he's pretty darn good.”


You can have this debate with quartebacks of years past. Stabler/Fouts, Marino/Montana, Bradshaw/Staubach. I think Manning can put up the same kind of numbers if called upon, but the Giants have always relied on a solid ground game to balance their offense. The Cowboys put more on Romo's shoulders than the Giants do Manning.

Manning is also a better crunch time performer, and that's why he has two Super Bowl rings in four years and Romo is still looking to get a playoff win under his belt. Romo may have the glitzier stats, but Manning has what really matters. The bling.

Osi Umenyiora tells LeSean McCoy Happy Mother's Day

Two players on rival teams that don't get along have a lot in common with each other. They both feel they're being mistreated by their front office and are looking for a new contract form their respective teams. They also don't like each other.

New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora and Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy have had a beef with each other since last season after McCoy called Umenyiora overrated and soft. Umenyiora responded by calling McCoy "Lady Gaga" and "she".

Umenyiora has fanned the flames once again via Twitter by telling McCoy to have a Happy Mother's Day.

“Happy Mothers Day Lesean Mccoy (sic)! Enjoy your special day!!”


Umenyiora then said that "the beef is never over". We'll have to see if McCoy can come up with a clever response to Umenyiora's taunts.

Rapper Birdman bets $5 million on the Patriots

The Super Bowl is a gamblers paradise. Bets on the game, prop bets, and just about anything you can put a wager on that pertains to the Super Bowl.

New Orleans rapper, Bryan "Birdman" Williams is looking to capitalize on the gambling craze of the Super Bowl. A man who clearly has too much money on his hands, Williams is putting $5 million dollars on the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLVI.

All I can say is that he's putting his money where his mouth is.
    

Jason Pierre-Paul Starts The Smack Talk

There hasn't been too much smack talk going on this week between the two Super Bowl combatants, the New York Giants and New England Patriots. Unless you count Antrel Rolle's retracted guarantee or Mario Manningham hoping he gets lined up against Julian Edelman, there's not much to go on.

Maybe Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has broken the ice. The Giants and Patriots faced off earlier this season in week 9. A game which resulted in a Giants win. The Giants defense sacked Patriots quarterback tom Brady twice that game, but to hear Pierre-Paul tell it, Brady heard footsteps all game.

“I think it will have much impact on his performance because if you look at Week 9, when we played them, it’s like he felt us," Pierre-Paul said during Thursday's media availability. "When we looked back on the film, we watched the film, and we didn’t really rush like we can rush as a defense. He was throwing balls on the ground and stuff, but like I said, it’s going to be a battle. We have to get there. We have to. …     

"(Brady) did react to pressure that didn’t exist, and he was just throwing the ball places where there wasn’t even a receiver there. Imagine us getting there even faster and actually doing our jobs and getting hits on him.” 


It's true that if you pressure Brady, he tends to play bad. But this is the Super Bowl and he is a two time Super Bowl MVP. He hasn't played his best against the Giants recently, but those comments might fire him up a little.

Tiki Barber Gives Up His Comeback

Tiki Barber has officially given up his dream of coming back to the NFL. Before he embarked on this mission, he should've known it was going to come to this. He burned too many bridges as a player and analyst and expected the teams in the league to welcome him with open arms.

His time away from the game (5 years) and his age (36) worked against him. Also his comments regarding his former team the New York Giants, didn't help his cause either. Barber officially made the announcement after Giants head coach Tom Coughlin rejected a meeting to call a truce.

"We tried. He said no, through his agent, (Giants vice president of communications) Pat Hanlon," Barber said. "But one of these days I'm sure it'll happen, because as we know, time heals all wounds. And I think at the end of the day, Giants fans, despite their dislike of me at times, know that I was one of the guys that put (it) on the line every time I put on my uniform."


I'm sure it wasn't to beg for a job, but he should've never announced that he was attempting a comeback. Even if Plaxico Burress proclaimed Barber was better than half the backs in the league. Who is he better than right now Plax? I'd like to know. Anyways, Barber says he won't be trying anymore comebacks.

"No. No. I'm not trying to come back," Barber said. "It was an excuse for me to get up off the couch and do something, and it worked, because now I'm engaged in a few different things and I feel really strong about where I am personally, and that's all that matters in life."


Sounds like denial to me, but oh well. We won't have to hear about Barber for some time.



      

Deon Grant Says He Wasn't Faking

After the St. Louis Rams filed a complaint with the NFL about the New York Giants faking injuries, the league sent out a memo basically stating that those caught faking an injury will be punished.

Giants safety Deon Grant says that if there's a problem he'll gladly address it. Grant was the main culprit along with teammate Jacquian Williams in the injurygate scandal. Grant isn't too happy about it and says he's too tough to fake an injury.

"I wanna ask a question: From the first time I touched the football field, how many games (have) I (missed)?" Grant said Wednesday, noting that he's played 162 out of 162 possible games since he came into the league back in 2001. "None, right? None. Now to this day I got two torn MCLs. I just had wrist surgery two years ago. I had a hole in my labrum and a torn rotator cuff. I (haven't) missed (any) games."


"I went out one play," Grant said. "I got banged up, and went right back in and finished the game -- (just like I have) every game for my career. My whole thing is when (do) you know (if) somebody faking an injury? ... I'm not no duck or no dummy. I'm not about to be going out there banging myself up like they do in the movies.




"You look at my knees now, do you see this knee (my right one), this knee is smaller than that one (my left one)? You see the bang up, right?"


Grant claimed he banged knees on the previous play and the Rams tried to line up while he was out of position. Besides going out of his way to prove how macho he is, he also implied that a teammate, maybe Justin Tuck told him to "just go down".

"And I was like, 'No,'" Grant said. "But as I was walking they lined up knowing I couldn't get back into my position because of the injury, so I went down. It just so happened Jacquain -- he was catching a cramp at the same time -- and he went down.

Grant had plenty to say. He said if the league wants to fine him he's ok. Just give him some money for the metal plates in his knees and the surgeries. He also doesn't care what the Rams think either.

"Like I just told (you), if you want me to be fined for that, how about (the league) give me money for playing on these torn MCLs, for me finishing the season with a torn rotator cuff and with a labrum that I got fixed before the season so I won't miss (any) games and sell my team out like that," Grant said.




"Give me some money for this metal plate and screws that I have in my hip that was a career-ending injury," he continued. "I can keep going on and on. Give me some money for finishing the season with a cast on, with a broken wrist and torn ligaments. Want me to keep going? Give me some money for me breaking my finger and it popping through my skin and the bone's just hanging out and I wrap it up and finish a preseason game or start a preseason game because the game hasn't even started -- I did that in warmups.


"I can go on and on and on. So if you want to talk about claims and all that other stuff, and all this toughness and softness, nobody's gonna try me first of all with the softness thing. But if you wanna talk about this whole toughness and all that, I got the injuries to speak for it.


"What was that down and distance when that happened?" Grant asked. "(Second-and-2) So they had, what, (three) plays to score right? So how you slowing somebody down?




"They already got down the field right? You got (three) plays, and I'm not even in the game the next play. You got (three) plays to score and that's what you're complaining about? C'mon."

We get it Deon. You're just way too tough to be faking. Personally I don't care one way or another. There will always be a team willing to bend the rules to get an edge. If he wasn't faking then oh well. Life goes on. We know football players are big and tough, I just don't care for someone to go out of their way to prove it.




 




   

Former NFL Player, R.W. McQuarters Shot

Former NFL player and vetran of many teams, R.W. McQuarters was shot in Tulsa, Oklahoma early Saturday morning.

McQuarters was visiting a friend and as he was leaving saw a man in a ski mask. McQuarters got into his car and heard several gunshots. He realized he was hit and drove himself to Hillcrest Medical Center. McQuarters had been shot in the back. The reports say the injuries are not life threatning.

McQuarters played for the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, and New York Giants.

Here's to a quick, speedy recovery for McQuarters.

Rex Ryan And The Jets Are The Giants' Big Brother

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is back at it. This time it's all in black and white. Ryan has co-authored a book with Don Yeager called,  "Play Like You Mean It". 

I won't go into great detail about it but he did take some time to slam a few former players (Kerry Rhodes, Vernon Gholston) get at Tom Brady once again and lets his feelings be known about other topics, like the Ines Sainz incident.

One thing that perked my ears up was when he talked about the Jets emerging from the shadow of the New York Giants.

"When people ask me what it's like to share New York with the Giants, my response is always, I am not sharing it with them -- they're sharing it with me," Ryan says, adding, "I know it's going to piss off every Giants fan to hear this, but here you go: We are the better team. We are the big brother."


Ryan also says the Jets are "going to remain the better team for the next 10 years. Whether you like it or not, those are the facts and that's what's going to happen."

Mighty bold words for the big guy. I'll say this though, the Jets are the better team right now. They have emerged from the Giants shadow as the G-Men have become pretty rigid under Tom Coughlin. The Giants also have a knack for folding in big games, sans their Super Bowl run.

I don't know about the next ten years, that all depends on drafting smart and signing the right players. No pun intended, but Ryan is aiming high with the Jets.