New York Giants Strike It Big In The Draft Again

First Round Pick Kenny Phillips Is The Real Deal

Courtesy blogNYG.com

Sam Madison, the elder statesman of the Giants is awestruck by the team's first round draft choice, Miami’" onclick="return(Jiglu.overlayOpen(this))">Miami safety Kenny Phillips. The similarities to another Miami safety - the late Sean Taylor—are stunning.

"He looks like him, plays like him, even wears his pads like him" said Madison in a radio interview Tuesday in Albany. That is good news for the Giants - and bad news for the rest of the league, many who had thought the Giants' secondary would be weaker without Gibril Wilson, who departed via free agency.

According to my eyes he looks like a winner. YaHoo Sports likes him, too: Kenny Phillips had a spectacular opening game and should win the starting free safety job by the time the season starts. He had six tackles, broke up a pass and anticipated an end-around play to be there at the line of scrimmage when the ball-carrier got there.

Phillips is the physical player the Giants have lacked in the middle of their secondary. The past two seasons the team had gotten exposed by players like Terrell Owens’" onclick="return(Jiglu.overlayOpen(this))">Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and Chris Cooley. GM Jerry Reese used his first two selections in the NFL Draft this past April to address the weakness.

He brought in Phillips and another physical player—USC CB Terrell Thomas—to face off against those division rivals.

By drafting Phillips, Reese not only replaces Wilson with a better player, he gives the vaunted Giant defense another weapon. This is a huge development for Giants fans and an fans of the other three NFC East teams.

While the NY and national media have fled the Giants camp for Hofstra, to cover every move Brett Favre makes, the Giants may have made the best move of all.

That defense that was last seen throwing Tom Brady around like a rag doll may be even better than ever come opening day.