Bleacher Report - Articles by Michael Tramontozzi

Rookie Spotlight: Hakeem Nicks

Michael Tramontozzi — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:21:48 -0400

The New York Giants needed a receiver heading into the NFL Draft in April. They had just released Plaxico Burress in March, and their all-time receiving leader, Amani Toomer, was not re-signed.

Rumors swirled of the team trading for Braylon Edwards or trading up for Jeremy Maclin. But in the head, they stayed put and took Hakeem Nicks out of North Carolina with the 29th pick of the first round. We sat down with Nicks and asked these questions to get his thoughts, so far, on being a rookie and NFL life:

1. What feelings went through your body when you heard your name called on draft day?

2. How does it feel going to a team that expects to compete for a championship but also will be looking for you to contribute immediately?

3. You seem to be a complete receiver in terms of being able to go deep as well as over the middle. Would you say that's correct?

4. Is there any pressure knowing the team did not do well last year when Burress was out, and now, you're being asked to help replace him?

5. What was it like playing for a college coach in Butch Davis who also has NFL experience and coached some great players?

6. Do you think your performance against West Virginia in your bowl game put you on the map so to speak?

7. What do you feel is your best attribute as a player?

8. Last one, what's the biggest difference between a college receiver and an NFL receiver?

Thanks a lot Hakeem and good luck this year.

For Giants Coaching Staff, Familiarity Creates Winning Culture

Michael Tramontozzi — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:00:53 -0400

After the debacle that was Jim Fassel's final year in 2003, Wellington Mara and the Giants organization decided to bring in Tom Coughlin as their next head coach. Soon after, the player complaints were mounting.

Coughlin and the team started strong in '04, going 5-4 before Kurt Warner was replaced by Eli Manning. The team proceeded to lose six in a row (some in horrid fashion), but Manning and the Giants would win their final game that year against Dallas and head into the offseason with some good thoughts.

The coaching staff assembled around these players also took some lumps, but grew as well. Kevin Gilbride started as the Quarterbacks coach in 2004, and by the end of 2006 had replaced John Hufnagel as Offensive Coordinator.

Offensive Line coach Pat Flaherty was brought on board by Coughlin in January of 2004. He is now in his fifth year and coaches one of the best offensive lines in football. Running backs coach Jerald Ingram is also in his fifth year at his position, and him and Coughlin go all the way back to the 1990s, when he was Coughlin's assistant in Boston College and Jacksonville.

Mike Sullivan has been coaching the Wide Receivers since January of 2004—another guy brought in by Coughlin. The only hold over was Mike Pope, who Coughlin dubbed "The best Tight Ends coach in Football."

Just on Offense, having all these coaches together since 2004 has not only allowed them to get used to each other, but it has given the players the ability to develop relationships and find comfort levels with the coaches—a rare thing in today's NFL where coaches come and go with regularity.

On the defensive side, new Defensive Coordinator Bill Sheridan was hired in 2005 as the Linebackers coach, and new Rams Coach Steve Spagnuolo credited Sheridan with calling a lot of the blitzes the last two years when Spags was the Giants DC. Sheridan came to New York after three years at Michigan under Lloyd Carr.

Secondary Coach Peter Giunta has been with the team since 2006 and was the Rams Defensive Coordinator when they won Super Bowl 34 against the Titans. Dave Merritt works with the Safeties while Giunta works with the Corners and Merritt has been with the team since 2004. One of the only new faces is Jim Herrmann, who worked with Sheridan at Michigan and will serve as the Linebackers coach this year.

Tom Coughlin obviously picked the right group of people, as all but one name mentioned above was hired post Super Bowl 42 victory. The familiarity this group has works both ways, because they have a vast knowledge of their players' skill set and abilities. They also know the tendencies of each other, and each have taken their respective position and turned out solid results.

New York Giants Need to Ride 'Backs to Success in 2009

Michael Tramontozzi — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:35:18 -0400

If you are good at something you should continue to do that. Someone isn't going to reach their optimal production level if they are doing something that doesn't suit their style.

In 2009, the New York Giants are built to do one thing—run the ball. Coming off a year in which they ran for over 2,000 yards as a team, the Giants are more built even more to be a dominant running team.

Before Plaxico Burress left the team prior to the game against Washington in November, the Giants were 11-1 and running through teams each week. Then Burress left and suddenly the team was unable to run productively. Some of it has to deal with the coaching staff perhaps abandoning the run a little too quickly in games.

But in Week 16 vs. Carolina, the team rushed for over 300 yards when they needed to remind people how good they were at running. However, in the playoff loss to the Eagles, it seemed as if the Giants were more apt to pass into the swirling January winds than run the ball.

Now though, the Giants do not have Plaxico Burress, and head into the year with Domenik Hixon, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks, and Steve Smith as their main receivers, which makes the pleas from fans even more louder: run the ball.

When you have Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, Danny Ware, and rookie Andre Brown on your roster—not to mention a dominant offensive line with two pro bowlers on it—the name of the game should be to run the ball. And the Giants coaching staff should recognize that, and run a lot.

There is no better way to take pressure off your receivers than to play to the strength of your team. And if the Giants do that—and do it often—they should see a lot of success in 2009.

NFC East Looks to Continue Dominance in 2009

Michael Tramontozzi — Sun, 17 May 2009 00:07:50 -0400

In both 2007 and 2008, the NFC East has taken three of the six NFC playoff spots in each year. The New York Giants have been in every year since 2005, and won Super Bowl 42.

The Philadelphia Eagles have been to the NFC Title game five times this decade. Oh and the Redskins and Cowboys have been to the playoffs twice since 2005. Pretty impressive huh?

Going into 2009, the Eagles are coming off a surprise NFC Championship game appearance—a game where they had a fourth quarter lead—and reloaded with some good talent to surround Donovan McNabb.

The Giants are the defending division champ, and boast perhaps the best defense in the division. However, Dallas and Washington seem to be looking more for an identity.

Dallas is now unquestionably Tony Romo's team (take that as you may), and hope that Roy Williams can become the go-to receiver Jerry Jones imagined when he paid a king's ransom to Detroit to get him.

After a disastrous 9-7 season that saw the Cowboys humiliated in Philly with a playoff berth on the line, I can't imagine this is the type of press Jerry wants around his team heading into their new multi-billion dollar stadium.

While Washington once again made their annual big splash in free agency with Albert Haynesworth, their draft day was odd to say the least. They added Brian Orakpo which gives them some needed pass rush, but their supposed interest in Mark Sanchez ticked off their starter Jason Campbell. Dan Snyder always makes things interesting.

Onto what seems to be the head of the division, the Giants and Eagles both seemed to make moves that improved their respective teams.

The Giants have a ton of young receivers now to hopefully replace the production of Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer. Draft picks Hakeem Nicks, Ramses Barden and Travis Beckum will join Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith as Eli Manning's targets.

However in free agency they added Michael Boley, Rocky Bernard and Chris Canty to an already top notch defense.

The Eagles came into the offseason needing to add players to make Donovan McNabb happy. They did that in the draft by adding weapons in wide receiver Jeremy Maclin out of Missouri, and LeSean McCoy out of Pitt can become the second option they've needed as Brian Westbrook hits 30 years old.

The Eagles also signed Stacy Andrews and traded for Jason Peters to solidifytheir offensive line.

As the defending division champs, the Giants are the team to beat. The road to a repeat is not easy though, as the Eagles are improved and the Cowboys could be very good if Romo takes that next step.

The division is looking at at-least two potential locks in the playoff field (Giants and Eagles), and when you put Dallas and Washington up against the rest of the NFC, their right there.

The NFC East was the best division in the conference the last two years. With the way the off-season transpired, the division might not get three teams into the playoffs again, but with the Eagles and Giants, you might be looking at the two best teams in the entire conference.

Tom Coughlin will have his work cut out for him and his team this year if they want to repeat, but there's no other way they would want it.

New York Giants Face Unfinished Business in 2009

Michael Tramontozzi — Sat, 16 May 2009 22:21:42 -0400

Through 12 games in 2008, the New York Giants were world beaters, going 11-1, which is the best record in the NFC, oh, and they were the defending Super Bowl champs. The team seemed destined for a trip to Tampa to try and make it a repeat—then Plaxico Burress shot the wheels off the bus.

Burress' suspension and the team's subsequent 1-3 finish to the season (including their 23-11 playoff loss to the Eagles) put an end to any talk of a repeat. The offense struggled down the stretch, especially in the passing game, where Eli Manning only threw one touchdown pass in the final five games.

With the uncertainty of Plax's legal situation, the Giants cut ties with their Super Bowl hero, putting their group of receivers in the hands of Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith. Burress isn't the only receiver they need to overcome losing, as the team released veteran wide-out Amani Toomer as well. So the team needs to replace its all-time leading receiver and a guy who caught the game-winning pass in Super Bowl XLII. No worries...right?

This is a team with a Super Bowl caliber defense, thanks to the return of Osi Umenyiora and the signings of Rocky Bernard, Chris Canty, and Michael Boley. The running game should be the same with two-thirds of Earth, Wind, and Fire (Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw) getting a bulk of the carries, while Danny Ware fills in as the third back.

But this team will only go as far as its young receivers go. They can run the ball all they want, but in the end, Eli and company will have to make plays to make sure teams don't stack eight guys in the box. This is where Hixon, Smith, Mario Manningham, and first-round pick Hakeem Nicks come into play. They can't single-handedly replace Plaxico Burress or Amani Toomer—but as a whole they can be enough.

Tight end Kevin Boss as well as hybrid rookie Travis Beckum will also help the receivers, as both are very capable in the receiving game.

So you look at the 2009 Giants as they get ready for OTAs and, eventually, training camp, and you don't see a lot of weaknesses. In fact, you see a team that has a lot to prove. And if you look at their roster, and all you can zero in on is the lack of a true No. 1 receiver, then you would leave that feeling pretty confident about the 2009 New York Giants.