New York Giants wide receiver, Steve Smith, has been struggling with  injuries this offseason and during last Friday’s practice, Smith suffered another one, this time a strained groin.

NFL betting fans should consider that Smith achieved a franchise-record of 107 receptions during the 2009 season and became the Giants’ first Pro Bowl representative at wide out since 1968.

The 25-year-old receiver said on Thursday that he underwent an MRI that showed a minor groin strain and some hip issues, with which he has dealt since college.

Smith did not play in the preseason game last night against the Jets, who share the Meadowlands with the Giants and will co-host the Super Bowl in 2014, but he hopes to return to practice next week.

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The run of first round picks signing contracts and getting camp without missing too much time continued on this evening, with New York’s first pick, defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, coming to terms with the club.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting (via Twitter) that Pierre-Paul’s deal is for five years and is worth an estimated $20 million with $11.6 million of that guaranteed. Pierre-Paul was the #15 overall selection in the draft last April.

Pierre-Paul joins a Giants defense that finished last season near the bottom of the league in points allowed, and while it may take some time for him to adjust to the speed of the game at the pro level, his quickness and pass rushing ability should give New York a versatile weapon to work with this fall.

Thurs @ 3:30 pm – Taylor has officially been charged in the case. According to police investigators handling the case, Taylor forcibly had sex with a 16 year old girl at his hotel room, after she was “delivered” against her will to the location.

10:15 am – Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor was once the most feared sack artist in the game, crushing opposing quarterbacks on a routine basis.

Now he’s on the opposite end of that spectrum, facing an enormous amount of pressure on all fronts, after being arrested earlier this morning by police in Ramapo, NY, on accusations of rape.

According to ESPN, Taylor has not yet been charged, but details surrounding the case are expected to be released this afternoon, by authorities involved in the investigation.

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For some time now, rumors have been swirling around New York, putting defensive end Osi Umenyiora on the trading block, and while it’s likely that any deal involving Umenyiora would have come during the draft, the Giants selection of fellow defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul would seemingly corroborate those stories.

But that discussion is likely shelved for the time being, after NFL.com’s Jason LaCanfora reported that New York immediately rebuffed multiple clubs calling to inquire about Umenyiora’s availability during the draft.

Keeping Umenyiora around for the time being is a logical course for the Giants to take right now, seeing as they have little proven depth behind him, and it could take some time for Pierre-Paul to acclimate to the much more difficult competition he’ll be facing at the pro level.

That said, the best time to get a reasonably decent return for his services was during the draft, and as such, New York may have missed a golden opportunity to upgrade their team.

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This is the continuation of our eight part series, taking an in-depth look at each division and the teams within headed into the NFL Draft on Thursday. You can view our analysis of all the AFC teams here.

As always, feel free to let us know what you think in the comment thread.

Dallas Cowboys (11-5)

Analysis: Even thought their season ended with a thud against the Vikings in the second round of the playoffs, the Cowboys had to be pleased with what they saw during the late stages of the year. Prior to last December, Dallas had not posted a winning record in that month of the season since 2001, so seeing his team win their last three games had to make owner Jerry Jones pretty happy. That said, there’s definitely work to be done if the Cowboys have any plans to get back to the Super Bowl winning ways they experienced in the early 90s. Having a strong draft this weekend will be a critical part of that. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, we thought things would die down a bit after the news about Karlos Dansby signing with Miami, but apparently New York had other ideas in mind.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Giants have signed safety Antrel Rolle to a five year contract for $37 million, with $15 million guaranteed. That’s officially the highest salary ever given to a safety in the NFL, and definitely blew everyone else out of the water.

Have to hand it to the G-Men… they watched their secondary struggle through last season and instead of waiting around for the draft to find a potential answer to their problems, they went out and got the best player on the market, albeit at a crazy price. At any rate, New York should be much better against the pass next season with Rolle patrolling the middle of the field, so hats off to the Giants for making it happen.

Every off-season we’re treated with at least one player threatening to call it quits on their career unless a specified set of demands are met, and this year is no exception. According to New York Daily News beat writer Ralph Vacciano, Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora is adamant that he will “stop playing football” before he consents to a backup role with the team next season.

Uh huh. No trade demand, no request for an outright release. Let’s skip right past all of that and just retire when New York’s brass say thanks but no thanks.

I’ve heard more than my fair share of trade demands from players over the years, but early retirement threats are a different story. When a player goes that far to force his current team into action, there’s almost always more to the story than what initially meets the eye. Especially when it comes from a player like Umenyiora, who has proven himself to be a talented performer at the highest level during his tenure in New York.

Granted, Umenyiora didn’t exactly light the league on fire last season, and looked lost in transition throughout much of the year. But a lot of the blame for that should be laid at the feet of the departed Bill Sheridan, who was as atrocious of a defensive coordinator last year as I’ve seen in some time.

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One of the more interesting available candidates for teams in need of a new general manager is Marc Ross, who serves as the director of college scouting for the Giants. Ross’ name was floated around for multiple positions last season, but was unable to land a gig in the right spot and chose to stay in New York.

This year could bring him the right opportunity though, and one such team would be Seattle, where Tim Ruskell’s departure late in season opened the door to a job with a team that is on the upswing.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting (via Twitter) that Ross is slated to speak with the Seahawks next week, and given the level of respect he has in may league circles, an offer could potentially come along shortly after.

Obviously the hiring process is nowhere near completion and Seattle may have a completely different candidate in mind altogether. But it certainly would not be surprising to see Ross receive the position and the Seahawks would be better going forward as a result. Ross has all the tools to be a successful GM in this league and while his youth and relative inexperience could be seen as a negative, a fresh perspective would be the exact opposite.

After a season of miscues, arguments with players, and poor execution, it was inevitable that New York would send defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan packing for the unemployment line.

That move happened late last night, and while there certainly is enough evidence to warrant Sheridan’s dismissal, the message it’s sending to the Giants players could prove to be problematic in the future.

Most of the problems New York had defensively this year happened because the players on the field failed to execute properly, not because Sheridan called the wrong plays. The Giants were one of the least disciplined squads in the league this season, consistently out of place on key plays, allowing opponents to rack up big yards en route to the end zone.

Don’t get me wrong, Sheridan definitely has some culpability and in a league that places more accountability on coaches than it does on players, it’s no surprise that the Giants went in this direction.

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Yesterday we posted a piece on the war of words between Giants defensive end Justin Tuck and Cowboys offensive tackle Flozell Adams, and speculated that Adams would likely receive a significantly higher fine this time around for his role in the fracas that took place at the end of the first half last Sunday in the Meadowlands.

That prediction proved to a good one today, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting (via Twitter) that Adams will be fined $50,000 thanks in large part to his shove of Tuck after the final play of the half was over. That is four times as large as the fine Adams received after the two teams met up earlier in the season, and will certainly make it clear that the league will be watching his actions very closely from now on.

Giants beat writer Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News confirmed the punishment.

Headed into their pivotal contest yesterday, the Cowboys and Giants dropped more than their fair share of one liners on each other throughout the week, setting the stage for a testy game that nearly turned ugly near the end of the first half.

Dallas offensive tackle Flozell Adams shoved New York defensive end Justin Tuck in the back, starting a miniature rumble on the field while the two teams headed into the locker room. That, along with the Giants eventual victory, set off a verbal exchange after the game through the media between the two players.

“I laugh at stuff like that. It just proves what kind of dirtbag he is. A few guys in Dallas I really admire as people. He’s not one of them.”

– New York defensive end Justin Tuck

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Stuck in the middle of a season filled with defensive miscues and injury concerns, the last thing the Giants need right now is a fight between the coaching staff and the players.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what may happen, after defensive end Justin Tuck got wind of comments made by defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan that basically insinuated that New York’s defensive unit has played soft as of late.

New York Daily News reporter Ohm Youngmisuk recently spoke with Tuck, and came away with an earful on the subject. Tuck took offense to the remarks, claiming the Giants defense has been physical all season long, and that opposing offenses would agree.

“I disagree. Everybody has an opinion. Maybe I’m completely wrong by saying I disagree. But in my opinion I don’t think that is the case. Go ask the O-lines and the offensive tackles or the guards that I play against. I don’t mean to make this an individual thing. I don’t think (Sheridan) said I was unphysical but when you talk about the team, I am part of the team, so I take it personally. So go ask some of the people I play against and ask the how physical I am. If they come back and tell you I’m not, then maybe I’m just a guy that blows smoke all day because I don’t know about myself.”

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